


giving you away

by avengerskye



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pining, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 58,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26261224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengerskye/pseuds/avengerskye
Summary: Childhood best friends Hope Mikaelson and Josie Saltzman go through every important part of their lives together. Soon enough feelings grow deeper for the Saltzman girl, and she finds herself falling for her best friend.Josie stays quiet, never lets anyone know the depth of her feelings for Hope.Then the truth comes out at the most inappropriate moment.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 739
Kudos: 908





	1. Everything is changing

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this, I've been thinking and working on it for a while now.
> 
> The story is based on the song "Marry me" by Thomas Rhett and its music video!

_ Hope & Josie - Age 9/8 - Wedding Plans _

"You know…" Hope says with wonder in her voice. "One day, I'll get married too. Just like aunt Freya."

Josie looks at Hope who is laying on her right. The light is coming through the window of the small tree house, landing right on the auburn haired girl's freckled face. Hope's hair almost looks on fire with the light on them, and the brunette doesn't think her friend could be more beautiful than she is at this exact moment.

They've both been laying on their backs on the floor of the tree house, catching their breaths after going into a fit of laughter. 

An hour or two earlier, Hope had rushed to her best friend's house after a two weeks vacation in New Orleans. The girls had never been apart for so long before. They had a lot of catching up to do, so they begged their mothers to let them have a sleepover. Caroline and Hayley agreed, so Josie and Hope went back to the Mikaelson girl's home. 

For a long time, all Hope can talk about is her aunt's wedding and how magical it had been. So, it didn't really surprise Josie when Hope suggested for them to stage a fake wedding. Of course Josie agreed to play along. The girls dressed up into their fanciest dresses, and climbed up into the tree house with a bag full of stuffed animals and decorations. Josie lined up the stuffed animals while Hope decorated the room, and when they were done, the ceremony began.

When the ceremony was about to end, Hope said they had to kiss and Josie couldn't contain her laughter anymore. Hope tried to scold her, but soon enough she was laughing along with her best friend. 

And that's how they ended up in this position, laying on the floor and looking at each other.

"I'm gonna wear a long and beautiful white dress." Hope says, her eyes sparkling. "I want magnolias, no other flowers. And… I don't think I want a lot of people there. Just my family, my husband's and our friends. You'll be there, of course. You'll be right by my side."

Josie's smile only gets bigger. She listens to every little detail Hope is willing to share about her dream wedding, secretly keeping track of everything that's coming out of her best friend's mouth. Her eyes never leave the freckled face of the Mikaelson girl. 

Later that night, Josie finds herself writing down what Hope told her earlier. Every little detail she can remember, not leaving a single thing behind. Hope's dream wedding sounds so nice. Josie wishes hers could be as perfect as her best friend's. She tries to imagine it, but the only images coming to her mind are tainted by the description of Hope's wedding plans. After a while, the brunette gives up.

Josie hides the list in a little box that's hidden under her bed. This box is full of things Josie collected over the years, and strangely, lots of those things are related to memories she shares with the Mikaelson girl. She folds the note with precaution, puts it inside and closes the box again. The brunette puts it back where it belongs before she climbs into bed. 

That night, she dreams of a wedding and of two girls who look strangely like an older version of Hope and her.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - Ages 10/9 - School Dance _

It's Hope's last Elementary school dance. Actually, it's the last time she'll step foot in this school again. The gym is beautifully decorated, and there's blue everywhere. She's been hanging out with some kids from her class, dancing and just having fun with them. 

Josie's there too, but they're in different crowds tonight. Sometimes, it's harder to spend time with her best friend when there's other kids around. Kids her age don't understand why she's friends with a younger girl, and Hope feels there's no point in explaining anything to them. Josie is one of the most important people in her life, and nothing can change that. 

The younger grades are starting to leave gradually though. Each grade has a different curfew for the dance. She knows Josie will soon be picked up by her mother. The thing is, Hope has a promise to keep before the girl leaves. A promise she made a long time ago. 

The Mikaelson girl quickly says goodbye to her friends, and they exchange curious looks as they look at her go over to a crowd of younger kids. Hope walks towards the fourth graders with confidence, and their eyes go a little wide as they see her get closer. The kids let her pass, and she easily finds her best friend chatting excitedly with her sister and their friend Milton.

Josie quickly notices her best friend, and without missing a beat she gets on her feet.

"Hope! I haven't seen you tonight." 

Hope can't fight the little smile that appears on her face as she takes in the fluffy blue dress Josie is wearing, and the wide smile that practically goes from one of Josie's ear to the other. 

"Hey, Jo." Hope says with a light chuckle. "Yeah, I know." She gently takes one of Josie's hands in her's. "Come on, I have something to show you."

Josie eagerly nods, and proceeds to say goodbye to her friends and her twin, but she never lets go of Hope's hand. Then, the auburn haired girl guides her best friend to the hallway, and they walk for a while inside the school before Hope stops in front of a class, and opens it without needing a key.

Josie gasps. "How did you know it'd be unlocked?"

Hope turns and looks at her friend with a smirk. "I have my ways."

They walk into the dark classroom, and Josie quickly looks around, trying to understand why they're here. Nothing seems out of place in the room. Desks and chairs are perfectly lined up, as is the teacher's desk. 

Then, the auburn haired girl lets go of the brunette's hand. Josie quickly looks back at her best friend, ready to ask a thousand questions, but Hope silences her by holding up a single finger. Josie's eyes follow the older girl as she walks to the back of the classroom. She frowns when Hope crouches down for a couple of seconds, but then the classroom lightens up. There's little blue lights all around, giving a magical glow to the room. 

"Hope…"

The Mikaelson girl walks back to her best friend with a sheepish smile.

"Do you like it?"

"Do I-... I mean… Hope, this is beautiful." Josie manages to say. "But… why?"

"Do you remember how scared you were on your first day of school?" Hope asks, and she waits until Josie nods before speaking again. "That day, I promised you I'd always be there, but you quickly told me that I wouldn't. That I'd be going to Middle school before you."

Josie nods again. "I remember that."

"So, I promised to you that we'd spend my last moments at this school together." Hope smiles, and takes Josie's hand to guide her to a place where there's no desk. "I wanted to make it special, to show you that you're my best friend and that nothing will change that. Wait here, okay?"

Hope walks to the teacher's desk and quickly looks for the speaker she placed there a couple of hours earlier. Within a couple of seconds, music invades the room. The Mikaelson girl quickly turns to see her best friend's face, hoping to see Josie's bright smile on full display. Instead, she quickly finds herself in the brunette's arms. 

"Hope, this is perfect!"

The older girl chuckles. "I picked all your favorite songs, and we have like… 30 minutes before your curfew starts and you have to go."

Josie nods excitedly. "Hope, can we dance? Please! Please, say yes!"

"Of course." The auburn haired girl answers with a light laugh. 

Most of the songs have a good beat, and both of the girls just goof around, trying to follow the rhythm. 

Hope had been sad in the last few days as she had to face the fact that she wouldn't be seeing her best friend everyday for at least a year. However, sharing this moment with Josie means everything to her right now, and it even makes the sadness she'd been feeling go away for a little while. 

The last song of Hope's playlist comes on, and she can't help but think that it's all coming to an end way too soon. The Mikaelson girl tugs her best friend close. This is a slow song, and she saw in a movie how this is supposed to go.

"Put your hands on my hips, Jo." Hope says softly.

The younger girl quickly does as she's told. "Like this?"

"Yeah."

Hope places her hands on Josie's shoulders, and together they begin to slowly sway back and forth. 

_ This feels nice.  _ Hope can't help but think.

Their eyes lock together, and it makes the older girl smile. Josie's brown eyes have always amazed her. There's so much warmth and care in them. It makes her friend incredibly beautiful. Even more so with the faint blue light touching her face. 

"This feels like a dream." Josie almost whispers.

Hope giggles. "It does."

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - Age 12/11 - Camping trip Part I _

"I can't believe you dragged us into this." Lizzie says with disdain.

Josie rolls her eyes. "Come on, Lizzie! This is camping! It will be fun!"

"Bugs are eating me!" Lizzie furiously says. "The heat is making me sweaty and gross. I'm gonna have to sleep in a  _ tent _ !"

The brunette twin quickly slaps her best friend's knee when Hope lets a chuckle out. 

"Ow!" Hope complains.

Josie doesn't pay attention to her. She stands up from where she was crouched down to tie the tent to the ground and walks up to her sister.

"Think about this, Lizzie." Josie says with a big smile. "The freedom we'll have this summer. We can walk through the forest, go to the beach, hang out at the park… There's so much to do here. You should be grateful Hope's dad accepted to take us with them."

Lizzie huffs. "I guess…"

The blonde girl turns around and goes back to sit down on a bench, not helping anyone to set out the camp. Josie sighs, and she's about to go over to her sister and ask her to help, but then a hand slips into hers. 

"Don't bother." Hope says as she tugs her back to their tent. "We got this."

Hope winks at Josie, and the brunette can't help but look down. Her cheeks suddenly feel warm, and she's pretty sure she's blushing. It's something that's been happening to her a lot lately. She feels shy whenever Hope is sweet to her, and she doesn't know why exactly. She wishes she'd know, because it'd be great if it could stop.

They finish setting the tents quickly, to Hope and Josie's delight. Since the day is a little bit chilly, and there's clouds in the sky, Camille suggests they all explore the camping's location. They all start walking together; Klaus, Camille, Hope, Josie and Lizzie. It doesn't take long for the adults to go in one way, and the tweens in another. 

The three girls end up at the park of the camping. They're alone there for a while, so they just decide to play. They settle on the swings, with Josie in the middle, Hope on her right and Lizzie on her left. After a moment, two boys and a girl walk inside the park. One of the boys is a little taller than the other and has dark skin. The other boy has pale skin and curly black hair. The girl has a smile on her lips and long dark blonde hair.

"Hi!" The taller boy says as he walks to the three girls. "My name is Rafael, and these are my friends, Landon and Jade."

Hope stands up from the swings and quickly introduces herself and the twins. Lizzie is still sitting on the swings when she leans close to her sister's ear.

"This camping trip just got a thousand times better. Rafael is so cute!"

_ Here it goes. _ Josie thinks as she lets out a sigh.  _ Lizzie has a crush again. _

The twins stand up too after that. Lizzie starts to try her charms on Rafael as Josie barely manages to give the newcomers a shy wave. The brunette feels a little out of place as her sister and her best friend seem to easily befriend the three other tweens. 

Something quickly makes Josie's stomach turn though. She's used to have Lizzie ignore her and go after a boy, but Hope never did that before. The Saltzman girl silently watches as her best friend talks with the curly haired boy. Hope's smile is wide, and her eyes have a little sparkle in them. She even sees Hope laugh and look down as a blush covers her cheeks. 

Josie can't lie, the boy is cute. He has a beautiful smile and his eyes are pretty, but she doesn't understand what makes  _ him _ special, or why Hope Mikaelson would look at him  _ this _ way.

"I'm going back to camp." Josie suddenly says.

She doesn't bother to wait for Lizzie and Hope's reaction. The brunette turns on her heels and walks straight to camp without looking back. No one's there when she arrives, Klaus and Camille must still be walking around.

Josie stands in the middle of their camp, a bit frozen in place, not knowing what she should do now. She's a little upset, and she doesn't know why. She had no reason to be. Hope has every right to make new friends, even if it's with a cute boy that makes her smile and giggle. Somehow, this thought only makes matters worse and suddenly her eyes are filled with tears.

"Josie!" Hope calls out as she runs into camp. "Are you crying?" She asks, her voice quickly betraying her concern. "Jo, tell me what's wrong."

"I-I'm just… not like you, okay?" Josie angrily says. "I can't make friends with the first strangers that walk by."

Hope sighs and lays a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We were getting to know each other-"

The brunette snorts. "You were flirting, and you completely forgot I was even there."

The older girl's eyes go a little wide and her mouth drops. She's not used to have Josie be so blunt and angry at her. Also, Hope has to face the fact that what the brunette is saying is true. 

"Josie, I-I didn't mean to ignore you." Hope blurts out. "It's the first time a boy makes me… giddy."

The Saltzman girl rolls her eyes. "So, what? You're gonna be this way the whole time?"

"No!" Hope quickly says. "I promise I won't be. I'm gonna have fun with you and not run after some stupid boy."

Hope ends her sentence with a smirk, and Josie can't help but smile back. The auburn haired girl immediately pulls her best friend into a tight hug, and buries her face in Josie's neck. Since Josie has grown a little taller than her, Hope can now just snuggle in her arms. 

"Talking about running after a boy…" Josie softly says. "Is that what my sister's doing right now?"

Hope nods, and now neither of them can contain their laughter.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - Age 12/11 - Camping trip Part II _

"Landon really likes Hope, you know?" 

Josie quickly turns to look at Jade. Like everytime she sees Hope and Landon together, or even hear their names mentioned in the same sentence, the brunette's heart sinks. 

She's not stupid. Josie totally knows she's jealous. What she doesn't know is what she's jealous of. She wonders if it's the time and attention Hope is giving Landon. Or it could be the fact that Hope's eyes used to shine only for her. Maybe it's because she wishes she'd have her first crush too. 

Josie still manages to smile as she looks at Jade. "Good."

"Where do you think they went?"

The brunette doesn't wanna think about that. She quickly avoids looking at Jade, scared that her face will betray her thoughts.

"I don't know."

Jade sighs and sinks deeper into her beach chair. "Seems like everyone got their first taste of summer love."

Josie turns to look at the girl once more, but she soon sees that Jade's eyes are elsewhere. The brunette follows the blonde girl's gaze, and when she sees what Jade is looking at, a small smile appears on her face. A little farther on the beach, Lizzie and Rafael are sitting by a bonfire, simply holding hands. 

What happens next makes Josie's heart jump inside her chest. She feels a hand settle on her own. Josie looks back at Jade. The older girl is giving her a shy smile, and when the brunette doesn't take her hand back, Jade intertwines their fingers. 

It's a simple gesture that could mean nothing, but the Saltzman girl knows it means a lot. She knows because they've been talking about crushes, and then they saw Raf and Lizzie hold hands and now…

_ Oh.  _

Josie looks right into Jade's eyes, and what she sees makes butterflies appear in her stomach as much as it makes her want to be sick. She loves the way Jade looks at her. It makes her feel beautiful. However, there's a little voice that seems to scream at her that this is wrong.

The Saltzman girl doesn't really know how she should feel about gay people. Her father says it's wrong. He says that a man should love a woman, and that people who challenge that will burn in hell for their sins. But then, there's Hope's aunts, Freya and Keelin. They've been in love for years, married for three. Whenever she sees them, she sees nothing wrong, only love. 

_ How could love be so bad?  _ Josie thinks as she lets herself squeeze Jade's hand.

"Hey guys!" 

Hope's voice breaks her train of thoughts and she jerks her hand away from Jade's hold. Her eyes are big and wild, like a deer caught in headlights. The emotions are overwhelming as Josie sees her best friend holding Landon's hand. There's still a faint blush on Hope's cheeks, and she just looks  _ so _ happy. Josie should be scared that Hope might have seen her holding Jade's hand, but instead she just feels incredibly sad. 

It's only later that night that Josie truly understands her feelings. She's laying close to Hope in their tent, and she listens to the Mikaelson girl as she talks about her night.

Landon took Hope for a walk.

They sat together on a park bench.

Landon kissed Hope.

Josie smiles. She acts like she's happy for her friend. She listens to every word and excitedly congratulates her best friend. 

It's only when Hope turns her back to Josie and falls asleep that the brunette let's the smile slip from her face. Josie puts a hand over her mouth to quieten her sobs, unable to keep them in. The pain she feels is unbearable as a realisation dawns on her.

She's in love with Hope Mikaelson.


	2. It's a start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments I had on the first chapter of this fic, and for the kudos as well!
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy this one!

_Hope & Josie - 15/14 - September _

The nervousness that comes with starting High School makes Josie feel sick. She doesn't get any sleep the night before her first day, and when she goes downstairs to join her mother and Lizzie for breakfast she can feel just how upset her stomach is. She still sits down at the table and smiles though, she doesn't want to worry her mother and her twin. 

As she forces herself to eat her single toast, Josie watches her sister run around. It's almost funny, the way Lizzie tries to get ready on time. The brunette twin would love to feel just like her sister about High School. She'd love to get rid of this uneasy feeling that eats her up, but it doesn't seem to work like that.

"Jo, finish eating! Hope and Hayley should be here at any second now." Lizzie scolds her. 

Josie sighs, but she still takes a bite from her toast. She can feel the eyes of her mother on her, but she doesn't dare look back. It would allow her mother to see right through her, and Josie's not sure she could handle it right now. As to escape Caroline's intense gaze, Josie quickly finishes her breakfast before standing up, intending to get her backpack from her room.

"Josie, wait…" Caroline says before blocking Josie's path. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"I'm good, mom." Josie says, forcing a smile.

Caroline gives her an unconvinced look that makes Josie sigh loudly. 

"I'll be late if you don't let me go." 

This time the little smile Josie gives her mother is a lot more genuine than the first. Caroline smiles back, even though she knows her daughter might not be as fine as she claims to be. Her eyes never leave Josie as the brunette climbs the stairs. 

The Saltzman girl barely has the time to grab the straps of her backpack when Lizzie yells from downstairs.

"Hope is here!"

In a matter of seconds, Josie is running downstairs and out of the house. She quickly sees that her sister and best friend are having an argument, and it really doesn't help the anxiety she already feels.

"Hey, what's wrong here?"

"Jo! Finally, your sister is being impossible again." Hope says, clearly relieved to see her best friend.

"I just want us to listen to some upbeat songs for once!"

"Lizzie, for the hundred time, this is my mother's car and I am in charge-"

Josie interrupts her. "Lizzie, stop arguing. You get to ride in the front seat."

Lizzie rolls her eyes but still opens the door and sits in the car. Hope's mouth falls as she sees the blonde get in, and then she looks at Josie.

Josie sighs. "I'm not in the mood for a fight. Just sit in the back with me?"

Hope's starts getting worried in the blink of an eye. She gets closer to the brunette and puts her hands on Josie's shoulders. The Saltzman girl immediately feels the blush that covers her cheeks. The only thing she manages to do under Hope's intense stare is to look away.

"How many hours did you sleep?"

"None…"

"Josie!"

"I was nervous!"

Hope sighs and closes her eyes to keep her calm. When she opens them again, all Josie sees in the ocean blue pools is worry and care, and she'd be a liar if she said it doesn't feel good. 

"You're all pale, and there's dark circles under your eyes." Hope gently says. "Did you eat something this morning?"

Josie nods. "Can we just go to school? I promise I'll be fine."

"Jo-"

"Hope, please."

The auburn haired girl's hands fall from Josie's shoulder as she sighs one more time.

"I'll drop it for now, but only because we'll be late if we don't go now."

"Thank you."

Before Josie can open the door and get into the car, Hope gently grabs her wrist, making the brunette look at her again.

"Just because I dropped it now, doesn't mean I stopped worrying."

The Mikaelson girl walks to the other side of the car before disappearing in it. Josie is left outside with a lump in her throat. She hates worrying people, even more when it's Hope she's worrying. The brunette looks down at her hands, and she's not surprised to see them shake. She takes a deep breath, hoping to calm herself a little. It almost works, but then Lizzie is yelling at her to get into the car. Josie jumps a little, tightens her jaw and gets in.

"What the hell were you waiting for?" Lizzie asks her twin. 

"Leave her alone!" Hope intervenes.

"Girls, please." Hayley stops them, but it doesn't stop Hope from glaring at Lizzie.

The ride is mostly silent from there. Lizzie tries to put some music on, but Hope quickly shuts her down before putting some of her own music. Josie quickly catches on the fact that her best friend is actually playing her favorite songs, a subtle way to help the brunette. It's the first time this morning that Josie can say she actually feels good. She looks at Hope as she sings along to her favorite song of the moment, and it makes butterflies appear in her stomach.

Josie sees Milton as soon as they get to school. Her friend seems to be as anxious as she is. He plays with the straps of his backpack as he looks around. The brunette quickly makes her way to him with Lizzie after she promises to Hope they'd spend lunch together. 

"Hi, Milton!" Josie says with the best smile she can force herself to put on.

The boy smiles. "Hey Jo… Please don't use my name, you know I hate it."

"Oh, yeah." Josie winces. "Sorry."

Lizzie rolls her eyes. "Why don't you just change it?"

Milton looks at the blonde, and Josie almost chuckles when she sees how flustered he gets. She briefly wonders if her own crush is as obvious to others as Milton's is to her. She really hopes it's not.

"C-change it?"

The blonde twin shrugs. "Yeah! It's a new school, so find a nickname you like and make people use it."

"Oh, uh…"

"Do I need to do everything?!" Lizzie groans. "Milton Greasley… What about MG? It's simple and it sounds great."

"MG…" The boy tests the nickname and then he smiles. "I like it!"

It's soon after that that the bell rings and they have to head to their first class. The morning goes on without a problem, and Josie's anxiety slowly disappears, just to reappear when lunch time comes around. 

Lizzie already made "friends", and she quickly goes to sit at a table with them in the cafeteria. That leaves MG and Josie to look around with their lunch bags in hands. There are so many students, and looking for a table is dreadful. The brunette tries to find Hope, but her best friend is nowhere to be seen.

"Josie…" MG says, his voice shaking.

She looks at him, and tries to give him a comforting smile but looks more like a grimace. 

"Jo!" 

The sound of Hope's voice has never sounded as sweet as it does at this moment. The brunette quickly turns around and comes face to face with Hope. The Mikaelson girl is carrying a tray of food, and suddenly Josie understands why her friend was not sitting down yet, she had to wait for her food. 

"Did I make you wait a lot?"

"No! It's fine, I was just…" MG nudges her with his elbow. "Hope, you remember Milton?"

"Jo…"

"MG! He wants to be called MG now." 

"Of course, I remember you." Hope says as she smiles. "Come on you two, let's go sit down. I want to introduce you to my friends."

Josie and MG share a slightly worried look as they follow Hope. Soon, they get to a table where three boys and two girls are sitting. Hope sits down next to a boy, making sure there's enough space for Josie to sit next to her. MG and Josie seem to be frozen as they look around the table. These are all older kids who probably really don't wanna hang around younger kids.

"Don't just stand there! Sit down, I'll introduce you." Hope says with a comforting smile.

Josie finally sits down, and she's so close to Hope that their sides are pressed together. MG takes a seat on the other side of the table next to a boy with dark skin and long dreads.

"Everyone!" Hope says as she looks around the table. "This is MG." She points to the boy who gives a wave and a smile to the people around the table. "And this… is my best friend, Josie. They're both freshmen, so be nice!"

Josie smiles too, but she's glad to feel Hope's hand slip into hers. All the teens around the table look nice enough, they're all smiling at them.

"Okay, so the boy next to me is Ethan." Hope starts. "Then, there's his sister Maya. On the other side of the table, there's Jed, Wendy and the last one, sitting next to MG, is Kaleb."

The Saltzman girl is surprised by how easily Mg and her fall into this group. It seems like the older kids have no problem with the fact that they're a little younger than them. They just get to know each other, and quickly see that they have a lot in commun. It doesn't mean that Josie lets go of Hope's hand though… 

During the middle of the lunch time, there's an announcement in the speakers concerning the sports team, and the other clubs that they could join. 

"Do you think I should sign up for the theatre club?" Josie quietly asks her best friend.

Hope's eyes lighten up. "Yes! Josie, you love this stuff."

Josie looks down. "What if I make a fool of myself?"

"You won't! Look, let's make a deal. I'll try out for the Lacrosse team if you sign up for theatre."

When Hope takes back her hand Josie almost protests, but then the Mikaelson girl lifts up her pinky finger between them.

"Pinky promise?" Hope says with a grin.

Josie rolls her eyes, but she quickly gives in and links her pinky with Hope's. 

That's why she ends up sitting alone in the middle of the auditorium after school. Oh, there's plenty of teenagers around, but no one she knows. They're all waiting for the teacher to get here and start explaining how the club will work. Most of the teenagers have a friend by their side, and Josie really wishes someone would be sitting with her too.

That is until someone actually sits down next to her. The girl has long dark raven hair and a charming smirk is playing on her lips. 

"Why is a cute girl like you sitting here alone?"

Josie's eyes widen, and she quickly looks around to make sure the girl is speaking to her. She looks back to the now laughing girl with a confused frown.

"Has no one ever told you you're cute?"

"Me?" Josie blurts out.

"Yes, you." The girl says. Then, she places her elbow on the armrest and then leans her chin on her hand. "I'm Penelope, and you are…"

"Josie. Well, technically Josette, but I prefer Josie and everyone calls me Josie, so-"

"Can I call you Jojo?" The confidence that Penelope radiates makes Josie nod. "So, are you a freshman, Jojo?"

"Yeah… Are you?"

Penelope shakes her head. "I'm a sophomore."

"Oh, just like my best friend." Josie says without thinking.

"What's your best friend's name?"

"Hope."

"Mikaelson?" Penelope asks, a bit taken aback.

Josie nods. "Do you know her?"

"Kinda…"

Before Josie can ask any other question, the teacher walks in and demands their attention. He calls them to the stage one by one, using the sheet they had to put their name on in order to sign up for the club. When it's Penelope's turn, she leaves Josie behind. As soon as she's on stage, the raven haired girl looks at the brunette and sends a wink her way. Josie sinks into her seat, feeling her cheeks heating up.

Maybe signing up for theatre club was a terrible idea after all.

* * *

_Hope & Josie - 15/14 - October _

The Lacrosse team of Mystic Falls High gets a new player this year. Hope joins them as the new attacker. Josie starts to see her best friend a lot less when she joins the team, but the way Hope's eyes sparkle when she talks about the sport is enough to make Josie forget about that. Hope practices with the team twice a week after school, on Monday and Wednesday, and sometimes there's a third practice on Saturdays.

Hope always misses their Wednesday dinners now, and Josie feels a little alone as she sits with their mothers and her sister. She knows it's stupid. Lizzie is sitting right next to her, and their mothers are there too, but Hope's presence by her side is missing. The brunette misses the way she'd just exchange looks with Hope when their mothers would say some ridiculous things. Or how they'd just sit together to do their homeworks before dinner. 

At least they still get to cuddle and watch a movie after dinner. Hope gets home late, around 7PM. She quickly takes a shower, eats and then settles with Josie in the living room to watch a movie. The twins and Caroline would usually leave around 8PM, but when Hope starts getting home late, they start getting home a little later than that. 

The week before her first game, Hope is a nervous mess. When she gets home after her Wednesday practice, she grabs Josie's hand and leads her to her room without sparing a glance at anyone else in the room. The Saltzman girl quickly sees how dirty Hope's uniform is. The auburn haired girl is pacing the room, clearly deep in her own head. Quickly, Josie stands in front of her best friend and places her hands on Hope's shoulders, effectively stopping her. Hope lifts her head and looks straight into Josie's eyes, and that's when the brunette realises just how panicked Hope is.

"I don't think I can do this."

Josie's eyes grow big when the realisation hits her. Then, she moves her hands from Hope's shoulders and she places them on the back of Hope's neck, gently forcing the Mikaelson girl to keep her eyes locked with hers. Josie uses her thumbs to caress Hope's cheeks, giving her friend her softest smile. 

"You, Hope Mikaelson, can absolutely do this." Josie leans in and places a kiss on Hope's forehead. "You're so strong, determined, and dedicated, Hope. You're gonna crush this game."

Hope's worried expression slowly leaves place to a smile as she hears her best friend's words. Without missing a beat, Hope circles Josie's waist with her arms and brings her impossibly close. The auburn haired girl buries her face in the brunette's neck as she hugs her tightly. Josie is quick to hug her back, even though she's desperately trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. 

Having these close moments with Hope while knowing she has a crush on the older girl is proving to be harder than she thought it'd be. The thing is, they are insanely close, so touches and hugs are an everyday thing for them. It's not like Josie wants anything to change between them. She just wishes this crush would disappear and never come back. But Hope is so special that Josie is certain it will never go away. 

Maybe it has something to do with the way Hope's smile lights up her entire face. Or the way her laugh seems to rise up from deep inside of her, making her face shine with happiness. Or maybe it's just that no one could ever compare to Hope Mikaelson. 

"I love you so much, Josie." Hope says, her face still buried in Josie's neck.

It's no surprise to the brunette when she stutters her answer. It makes Hope chuckle, and Josie is relieved that her friend doesn't say anything about it. 

"Hope…" The Mikaelson girl hums. "You smell, and your uniform probably already put dirt all over my clothes."

Hope pulls away as she rolls her eyes. 

"Geez, Jo, you just killed the mood real fast."

As soon as Hope is at a safe distance, Josie feels like she can breathe again. The auburn haired girl goes to her closet and gets some clothes out of it. She throws some PJs to Josie, and takes some for herself.

"Here, crybaby."

Josie catches the clothes, and gives her best friend a glare. It quickly disappears when Hope playfully rolls her eyes before starting to take her uniform off. 

Logically, Josie knows she's seen Hope in her underwear before. They've known each other for years. But now, Josie's aware of her feelings for the older girl. She's actually acknowledging her crush on Hope. So, she can't just stand there and watch her best friend change now, it wouldn't be right.

The brunette quickly closes her eyes and turns around. She walks straight into the wall instead of through the door. There's a tud from the impact, and a whine escapes Josie's mouth.

"Jo? What happened?" Hope asks as she gets closer, barely containing her laughter.

"You started to change right in front of me! I tried to go change in the bathroom."

"With your eyes closed?" Hope asks, her laughter dying and a frown appearing on her face.

"I wanted to give you some privacy." Josie shyly says.

"We've changed in front of each other before."

Josie avoids Hope's eyes. "We're not kids anymore…"

"I didn't realise it bothered you." Hope says quietly. "I won't do it anymore."

"Hope-"

The Mikaelson girl shakes her head. "No, you're right. We're growing, and… some things have to change, I guess. Go change now. I'm starving."

Josie's hold on the clothes in her hands gets tighter, but she still nods. As she walks out of her best friend's room, the brunette mentally beats herself up. This went terribly wrong. Hope sensed that something wasn't right.

_What if she knows?_ Josie can't help but think.

Deep down, she knows Hope doesn't know the extent of her feelings, but there's still some doubt and insecurities. It's been eating her up lately, and she hates it.

She enters the bathroom, and quickly changes herself. Of course she notices the fact that Hope gave her her fluffiest pair of PJs, she always does anyway. 

When she opens the door, Hope is waiting for her outside. The shorter girl is leaning against the wall, yawning. As soon as she sees Josie, Hope straightens up and gives her a little smile that Josie reciprocates.

"Josie, we're good, right?"

"Of course." Josie blurts out as fast as she can. "Why wouldn't we be?"

Hope gives her a suspicious look. "No reason, I guess."

Josie decides she needs to dissipate any doubt from Hope's mind, so she quickly loops her arm through Hope's before guiding her downstairs.

"Come on, let's get some food in this stomach." Josie says as she pokes Hope's stomach.

Her attempt at reassuring her best friend almost goes right out of the window when she realises Hope has abs. That's new, and it makes Josie freeze for a second. 

"You got abs." She finds herself blurting out.

Hope giggles. "I've been working out a lot since I got on the Lacrosse team. I guess it paid off."

Josie's saved from answering when Hope's stomach makes itself heard. The two teens look at each other before giggling like kids as they start walking again. Soon, they get to the kitchen. Josie makes Hope sit down at the counter while she heats Hope's plate. 

"It's cute when you take care of me like this." Hope says.

Josie looks at her from over her shoulder. "It's only normal. I'm your best friend."

"Yeah…"

Josie breaks eye contact, and looks back to the microwave. She gets Hope's plate out before taking it to the Mikaelson girl. 

"Thanks, Jo."

"You're welcome, Hope."

The auburn haired girl has only eaten a bite of food when her mother, Caroline and Lizzie walk in.

"You managed to calm this bundle of nerves down. Congrats, Josie." Hayley says as she gives her daughter a teasing smirk.

Josie shrugs with a little smile. "I guess she just needed one of my pep talks."

"Of course she did."

"The two of you have such a beautiful dynamic." Caroline adds.

Josie feels the blush that covers her cheeks, and hears the giggle coming out of her best friend. She looks down, hoping that her hair would be enough to hide her red cheeks. 

"Josie, why aren't you wearing your own clothes?" 

The brunette quickly looks up at her mother. "Hope got them all dirty."

"I hugged her while wearing my uniform." Hope explains. "She can keep the PJs and I'll clean her clothes."

"We'll do that." Caroline says with a nod. "Girls, we're gonna leave early tonight. I have a meeting tomorrow morning."

Hope's head snaps up, her eyes wide and suddenly sad.

"No movie cuddles?" She asks with her mouth half-full.

Caroline chuckles as she shakes her head. "I'm sorry, honey. We're going soon."

Hope can't help but pout as the words leave the blonde woman's mouth. Lizzie rolls her eyes and groans.

"I thought pouting was Josie's thing."

"It can be our thing, right Jo?" Hope says as she winks in her best friend's way.

"R-right." Josie manages to blurt out.

The Saltzman twins and their mother leave a little after that. Hope hugs Josie tight for a long time. Not that Josie would ever complain about that.

Friday night comes around way more quickly than Josie thought it would. These last two days, she spent all her free time designing a shirt for her to wear at Hope's first game. She took an old white shirt, put some tie dye on it to make it colorful and then wrote down Hope's name and number on the back of the shirt. She thinks it looks good enough. 

Josie manages to drag MG to the game. They get seats on the bleachers, in the first row actually. There's a separating them from the field, and making sure they don't fall. Josie can feel the excitement in the air, she can hear the hundreds of people shouting around her. The players get on the field, and the crowd goes wild. Josie's looking for Hope when someone sits next to her, effectively distracting her. 

"Hey, Jojo." 

Josie quickly looks at the girl now sitting next to her. Penelope is smirking, just like she was in the auditorium the first time they met, and everytime they saw each other after.

"Penelope… hi." 

The raven haired girl looks at Josie's back, and the smirk falters a little before she can catch herself. Then, she looks back at the brunette's face with a teasing smile.

"Is Mikaelson the only reason why you're here?"

Josie looks back at the field. "I'm here to support my best friend."

Penelope hums. "Of course you are, Jojo."

Josie finally manages to find Hope. When they make eye contact, Hope smiles and waves at her. Josie waves back with a shy smile just before Hope has to focus herself on the game. Her eyes never leave her auburn haired friend after that. 

The first half of the game ends, and their team is in a bad position. They are nowhere near winning this game. The look of defeat on Hope's face breaks Josie's heart for a moment. She quickly thinks about what she could do to help her friend all the way from the bleachers. 

Josie stands up and gets closer to the fence separating her from the field. 

"Hope!"

The Mikaelson girl turns around, and so does Josie. The brunette shows the back of her shirt where Hope's name and number are and points them out with her thumbs. Then, she turns around.

"You can do this!" Josie shouts with her proudest smile.

She sees a large smile appear on Hope's face before she has to give her attention to her teammates again.

It would seem Josie's intervention pushed Hope to work harder than before, because Mystic Falls' Timberwolves wins the game and the Mikaelson girl scores the last goal. 

MG has to go home when the game is over, and Penelope leaves with some friends of hers. Josie goes between the bleachers, where the players disappear in the locker rooms, that's where Hope told the Saltzman girl to wait for her. 

Hope appears about ten minutes later, with her normal clothes on and her hair wet and in a ponytail. As soon as her eyes land on Josie, the Mikaelson girl smiles. Josie sees her run in her direction, and her eyes widen a little. Hope picks her up before twirling her around. They laugh together both way too happy to keep it in. 

Hope gently let's Josie slide in her arms until the brunette is standing on her feet again. Their laughter slowly dies out, and it leaves them a little breathless as they look into each other's eyes. The world seems to freeze at this moment. The only thing that seems to move is their heads as they slowly lean closer to each other.

"Hope!" Someone shouts.

The moment is shattered. Hope moves back with an awkward smile, and Josie avoids looking at her.

"Come on, we're waiting for you." The voice shouts again.

"I'm gonna go home. Goodnight Hope."

The brunette moves past Hope, and starts walking away.

"Jo…" Hope weakly says.

Josie doesn't look back.


	3. We don't choose our family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> I just wanna warn that some homophobic slurs are used in this chapter. Please be careful with reading it.
> 
> Enjoy!

_ Hope & Josie - 15/14 - November 29th _

Every breath coming out of Josie's mouth makes a little cloud of smoke. It's cold, and normally she wouldn't be outside when it's this cold. But, today is a special day. Today, they have traditions to uphold.

So, the brunette blows on her hands, hoping to maybe get them a little warmer than they are, before she puts her gloves on again. She quickly looks around, making sure Hope didn't find her yet. When the coast seems clear, Josie puts her attention on making as many snowballs as she can. She needs to be prepared.

Suddenly, she can hear someone's steps nearby. The brunette grins, and gathers a ball from the ground. She looks to where the noise is coming from, quickly seeing her best friend slowly walking to the other side of the backyard to hide behind a tree. 

Without hesitation, Josie quickly stands up and throws the ball at Hope. It hits the auburn haired girl right on the face.

"Ow!" She groans. "You are so dead, Josie Saltzman!"

The brunette quickly hides behind the playhouse again. Hope knows where she is now, and soon she'll be under attack. Josie grabs as many snowballs as she can before running to go hide under the table that's been thrown to the side, making it a perfect hiding spot. As soon as she's safe again, Josie puts the snowballs back on the ground. 

She decides to look up and try to see where Hope went, only to herself be thrown to the ground. She ends up face first in the snow, with someone on top of her. Josie groans and tries to fight off her opponent, but the person on top of her is too strong.

"Surrender!" Hope demands loudly. 

"Never!" Josie says, still trying to get Hope off of her.

Hope smirks, and that's when an idea comes to her mind. She grabs a good amount of snow from the ground, lifts the collar of Josie's coat and lets the snow fall between the brunette's coat and shirt.

"Oh my god!" Josie screams.

Hope quickly gets off of Josie and rolls on the ground, laughing so badly that her stomach starts to hurt. The Saltzman girl stands up and does her best to get the snow out of her coat, and off of her skin. As soon as all the snow has melted, Josie stops moving to glare at her best friend.

"You're the worst."

Hope stands up and quickly brushes off the snow from her clothes before giving her attention back to Josie.

" Yet, you stick around ." She says with a smirk. 

Josie glares at Hope again. "Fuck you, Mikaelson."

"I love you too, Saltzman."

The door of Hope's home opens, revealing Hayley. Hope's mother has a bright smile on her face but she soon winces when the cold hits her.

"Girls! We're a little worried you'll catch a cold since it's legit freezing today. Come inside, hot cocoa is ready."

The two teens look at each other for a couple of seconds. Normally, they would play for a lot longer than this. For 2 hours and 31 minutes to be exact. But it is very cold today. Neither of them can feel their fingers anymore and they haven't been outside for an hour yet. 

"We could play for one more hour next year, right?" Hope asks.

"Definitely."

They both rush to the door, even bumping each other on the way there. Josie is the first to get through the door, closely followed by Hope. The heat of the house hits them with full force. The brunette quickly gets rid of her clothes, and her friend does the same.

"Josie! Your clothes are all wet, you could have fallen seriously ill." Caroline scolds.

The Saltzman girl sends another glare at her friend. "Whose fault is that?"

Hope sticks out her tongue, making Josie take a step forward in hopes to retaliate, but her mother quickly stops her.

"Go change, now."

The brunette sighs, but does as she's told. She climbs the stairs and goes straight to Hope's room, where she left her bag that morning. She gets her PJs from it, knowing full well it would be perfect for the remaining of their day. After all, they do the same things every year. It's tradition, and she wouldn't have it any other way. 

She just finished putting the PJs on when there's a light knock on the door.

"Come in."

Hope peaks her head through the door and gives a sheepish smile to Josie. The brunette playfully rolls her eyes before turning back and putting her damp clothes into her bag.

"Are you mad at me?" Hope cautiously asks.

"Of course not." Josie says. "I'll be mad tomorrow."

Hope hugs Josie from behind, her head landing awkwardly on Josie's upper back since the brunette has gotten taller recently. The auburn haired girl's hands cover Josie's stomach, holding her tightly.

"Good. I'd be so sad to have you mad at me on this day." Hope whispers.

Josie lifts her hands and covers Hope's. "I'd never let anything ruin the day of our meeting's anniversary." Gently, Josie forces Hope to break their embrace and turns around to face her best friend. "We should go back downstairs. Hot cocoa, a warm blanket and a movie sounds like heaven right now."

"Yeah... " Hope says in a sigh. "Let me just change too. I'll join you downstairs in a minute."

Josie nods. "I'll prepare the movie."

They smile at each other for a couple of seconds before Josie walks out of the door. The Saltzman girl goes downstairs and then to the kitchen. Hayley and Caroline are both sitting at the kitchen counter, and they quickly look at Josie as she walks in.

"How's the day going?" Caroline asks.

"Same as every year. It's perfect." Josie answers without even thinking about it.

"Are you gonna do this every year for the rest of your life?" Her mother curiously asks.

It makes Josie stop for a second. She never thought about that. She's sure Hope hasn't either. It's not like they talked about doing this every year, they just… do it. 

"I-I hope so?"

Hayley chuckles. "I don't think Hope would skip a year."

"Neither would I."

"I thought you were gonna set the movie!" Hope says as she walks in.

Josie quickly looks at Hope. "I wanted to say 'hi' to our moms."

The Mikaelson girl nods. "Okay." Hope turns to Hayley and Caroline. "Hi, moms." Then back to Josie. "Let's go, now?"

The brunette rolls her eyes. "Yeah, let's go."

"Prepare the movie, I'll get our hot cocoa!"

Josie nods and then slips out of the kitchen to go to the living room. She immediately notices the pillows and blankets on the couch. It takes her about 5 seconds to find their favorite Christmas movie on Netflix. Then, she decides to start placing the pillows and blankets.

"Hey! I'm supposed to help with that."

Josie quickly stops. "I just wanted to start."

Hope sets down their mugs, and then quickly takes a pillow from the pile on the couch. Josie takes it as a sign that she can start working on their fort again. 

"Our moms used to make this fort for us, so I wasn't really breaking tradition." Josie decides to say.

"Yeah, but we've been doing it together since I was 7 and you were 6, so…"

Josie chuckles and shakes her head. "You're being childish."

"You're rushing traditions!" Hope says, her voice sounding way more upset than before.

Josie stops everything she is doing once more. She turns her head to look at her best friend, only to see Hope sniffling and holding back tears. The brunette's eyes immediately fill with tears too, because seeing Hope in this state is unbearable to her. As fast as she can, Josie goes over to Hope and quickly pulls her in a tight hug.

"Hey…" She whispers in her ear. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to upset you."

Hope lifts her hands and places them on Josie's back before closing her fists on the material of the brunette's shirt. She buries her head in Josie's neck and takes several deep breaths.

"I-I just…" She takes a shaky breath to steady herself. "We haven't been spending much time together recently. I guess I just miss you."

"Hope…" 

Josie feels like her heart is literally shattering as she hears her best friend cry and say that she misses her. It's true, they haven't seen each other that much recently. With the exams closing in and the preparations of the school play, Josie's been busy and Hope has been too. They skipped weekly dinners and even skipped seeing each other a weekend or two.

The brunette had no idea it had been affecting Hope that much. Everything seemed fine between them, and the Mikaelson girl didn't set off an alarm or anything.

"I'm so sorry." Josie softly says as she gently plays with Hope's hair. 

The auburn haired girl shakes her head and moves out of Josie's embrace. She slowly wipes away her tears, looking away from her best friend. 

"It's fine. I probably overreacted…"

Josie frowns. "What? No, you didn't. You're right actually, and I'm really sorry I didn't see it was affecting you."

Hope's eyes fill with tears again, but this time she looks at the ceiling to contain them. She takes a deep breath, and then she even manages to give a little smile to her best friend.

"It's fine. It's not like I wanted you to know." She briefly pauses. "Let's just watch the movie, okay?"

Josie wants to say more. She wants to tell Hope she never wants to hurt her. She wants to tell her that spending time with her is the only thing she wants to do. She wants to tell her every little thing she feels, but she could never say that out loud, and deep down she knows it. So, instead of pouring her heart out, Josie smiles.

"Get in the fort, I'll go reheat our mugs."

Hope nods and quickly disappears inside the fort. Josie takes a deep breath and then she takes both mugs to the kitchen. As soon as she gets there, she can feel Hayley and Caroline's eyes on her. Without a word, the brunette goes to the microwave and starts heating up the hot cocoa again.

"Is everything good, Josie?" Caroline softly asks.

The Saltzman girl looks at her mother and gives her a slightly forced smile.

"All good."

"Are you sure? We heard-"

"Mom. It's fine."

The microwave stops and Josie quickly turns back to it. She gets the two mugs out of it. Josie gives one last time to her mother and Hope's before heading back to the living room. She walks to the fort, and she's a little surprised to see Hope waiting at the door of the fort. 

"Give me the mugs, this way you won't spill them."

Josie chuckles, but does as she's told. Hope takes the mugs, and leaves them on the floor before going further into the fort, settling in the pile of pillows. Josie gets on her knees and then gets inside. She quickly sits down next to Hope, her back against the pillows. 

"Are you comfortable?" Hope asks.

Josie nods. "Do you wanna cuddle?"

Hope gives Josie a shy smile before she nods. The auburn haired girl wastes no time before she snuggles into the brunette's side. Josie lifts her arm, and gently lays it on top of Hope's shoulders, tucking her even closer than she already was. The Mikaelson girl lays her head in the space between Josie's head and her shoulder, positioning herself in a way to see the TV screen. 

Hope reaches for the remote and presses play. The familiar music of their favorite Christmas movie starts, and neither of them can stop the soft smile that appears on their faces. 

In that moment, as they are in their own little world, and as Hope is in her arms, Josie allows herself to feel so many things she always tries to make quiet. The butterflies in her stomach are stronger than ever. Her heart beats faster than it normally does, in fact, it beats so fast and Josie feels like it's so loud, she's almost afraid Hope could hear it. She even lets her finger gently touch and caress the skin of Hope's arm, making goosebumps appear on her trail. 

"I love you, Hope." 

She doesn't even try to stop those words from getting out. It doesn't come out weak, or even hesitant. No. She says them loud, and proudly. She says it because at this moment she can't keep it in anymore.

"I love you too, Jo." 

Hearing this back should fill her with joy, and she should probably be smiling. But, she can't stop her heart from sinking in her chest when she hears it. Because Hope has no idea of what she truly meant when she said those three words, and she'll probably never know. It's a bittersweet feeling, to be in love with someone and to have them love you as a friend.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 15-14 - December 31th _

"What do you think?" Hope asks before nervously biting her bottom lip.

Josie's words get stuck in her throat. She can barely breathe as she takes a good look at her best friend. She can practically hear her heartbeat, and it's going so fast she's actually scared it will jump out of her chest.

Hope is standing in front of her wearing a beautiful red lace dress. The deep red of the dress makes Hope's blue eyes even more noticeable than they usually are, complimenting them in the best way. There's a pattern on the dress, and Josie can't help but to notice it looks like flowers, or even leaves. The dress falls just below Hope's knees, and Josie can't help but let her eyes wander to the Mikaelson girl's exposed legs. When she forces herself to look back up, it's only to notice how the swoop of the dress is exposing Hope's collarbone.

Josie quickly looks away. She can only imagine what shade of red her cheeks are now. She mentally scolds herself for even looking at her best friend that way. 

_ What is wrong with you?!  _ She screams in her own head. 

"You look beautiful, Hope." Josie says in a high-pitched voice.

Hope is playing with her fingers, still looking hesitant. She looks down at herself, and Josie can't help but follow the movement. Then, the auburn haired girl quickly looks up.

"Do you really think so?"

Hope's hair is pulled into a bun, her face beautifully framed by two strands of loose hair making her look innocent. The whole look makes Josie swoon, and she just hopes her friend won't notice.

"Yes, I really think so." Josie says softly. 

"Thank you." Hope says as she lets out a breath. "Do you want me to help you with your hair?"

"You don't mind?" 

"Never." Hope says with a smile. "How do you want it?"

The brunette shrugs. "Do what you think is best. I trust you."

Hope's smile gets bigger, and she quickly gets to work. 

When she's done, Hope takes Josie's hand and leads her to the full body mirror she has in her room. She makes Josie stand in front of it, and she stands just behind her, awaiting her best friend's reaction. 

Josie brown hair falls in waves on her shoulders, and they almost look natural. The Saltzman girl can't help but be amazed by how beautiful she finds herself.

"Your dress is simple, yet beautiful. That was my aim for your hair. Do you like it?"

Josie feels a little choked up by her emotions. "I love it."

Hope lays her head on Josie's shoulder and gives her a soft smile.

"You know… I thought about making you space buns." She says, her smile turning into a smirk.

Josie rolls her eyes. "You're never gonna let me live that style down, uh?"

"You look cute with them!"

Josie gives a gentle push to her best friend before walking in the direction of the bed, intending to sit on it, but then someone knocks on the door. 

"Who is it?" Hope calls out.

"It's your father." 

Hope rolls her eyes at how formal Klaus tends to be.

"Come in, dad."

The man opens the door and wastes no time before walking in. Klaus is wearing a beautiful white suit, black trouser and a black bowtie completes the look. He looks as confident as ever, something Josie always admired about him. Despite his intimidating looks, the brunette knows the man as a caring and loving father. 

"Good evening, ladies. You both look very lovely tonight." He greets them with one of his charming smiles. "Are you ready to join us all downstairs?" 

Hope smiles. "Yeah, we were about to do just that actually."

Klaus smiles, nods and then turns around to leave. Just as he's about to pass the door, he suddenly stops, and turns to face the girls once again. His eyes land on Josie, and he looks almost uncomfortable. He avoids her eyes before speaking.

"Sweetheart, your father is here." He tells the brunette, his tone of voice incredibly soft.

Josie's heart stops for a second. It feels like Klaus just told her the world stopped turning. It takes no time before she feels Hope taking her hand, and giving it a gentle squeeze. The brunette can't bring herself to look at her best friend.

"Thank you for letting me know, Klaus."

The man's smile looks more forced than genuine now. He nods again, and then leaves them alone. Josie quickly turns to Hope, a look of panic taking over her features.

"Hope, what if he does something bad?"

The Mikaelson girl pulls her into a tight hug. "It'll be okay. Maybe… maybe he didn't drink."

Josie pushes her friend away. "That's very unlikely, and you know it."

Hope sighs as she sees the state her friend is now in. The sweet girl who was so happy to have her hair done a couple of minutes ago is now a nervous mess who can't seem to stand still. The auburn haired girl quickly gets in front of Josie, she places both of her hands on the brunette's shoulders to stop her pacing.

"Look, I'll be by your side the whole time. Whatever happens, okay?"

Josie lets out a frustrated sigh and runs a hand through her hair.

"Why did he have to show up? Last year was a disaster!"

Hope manages a half-smile. "Maybe he wants to redeem himself?"

"Hope, please stop. He's probably here for the free booze." Josie groans before she shakes her head. "Let's just go downstairs."

The younger girl quickly walks to the door, and then out of the room. Hope watches her go silently. Deep down, she knows Josie is probably right about Alaric, but she really wishes her friend is wrong. She hopes Alaric Saltzman won't make his daughters feel bad about his actions once again. 

It's with this thought that Hope quickly walks out of her bedroom to follow her best friend downstairs. 

There's music playing just loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to make it hard to hear what someone says to you. The decorations are festive, but classic. People are dressed up in their fanciest clothes and wearing their best smiles. The Mikaelsons' New Year's Eve party is the best in town, and people are dying to be invited every year. 

Hope and Josie stop when they're standing at the bottom of the stairs. Josie is looking everywhere, trying to catch sight of her father. As for Hope, she greets the people who come talking to them. She talks for them both, letting Josie focus on her "mission". However, when it's been about 15 minutes and there's still no signs of Alaric, Hope has had enough.

"Josie… Why don't we just enjoy ourselves?" She softly asks. "We'll deal with him later."

The brunette looks at the older girl, ready to tell her that she can't enjoy herself as long as she doesn't know where her father is, but then… Hope is looking at her with so much love and care, and so much  _ hope.  _ Josie doesn't have the heart to say no to her.

"Do you wanna dance?" Josie finds herself asking. 

Hope's smile is blinding. "Yes!"

The Mikaelson girl quickly grabs the brunette's hand and drags her to a room where people are already dancing. As soon as they get there, Hope twirls Josie around. They spend the next few songs goofing around. Josie knows that her friend is a good dancer, she knows Rebekah made Hope take dance classes too. But right now, it almost looks like the auburn haired girl has never danced before. The Saltzman girl is 99% sure Hope is doing this to make her forget her father, and for a moment it works. 

"This is disgusting."

Josie's blood runs cold. The slurred words of her father makes her heart skip a beat. Instead of turning around to look at him, she stands there, frozen in place. One thing she does see is Hope's eyes fill with anger.

"Alaric-" Freya tries to say.

"You fucking dyke!" He practically screams. "There's children here, you should keep your fucked up lifestyle for yourself."

"Alaric!" Klaus' booming voice quickly interrupts him. "I won't allow you to talk to people like this under my roof."

"You are supporting these perversions?" The man's words are still slurred. "They'll end up in hell for their sins. How can you allow your own sister to fuck another woman?"

"My sister is her own person." 

The anger in Klaus' voice makes Josie turn around. The view that awaits her makes her eyes go wide. Alaric is barely standing on his drunken feet, obviously drunk, and Klaus is standing in front of him, as tall and proud as ever.

"I accept Freya the way she is, and give her all of my support." Klaus firmly grabs Alaric's arm. "Now, I will guide you to the door and you will leave."

Josie knows what's coming next, so she quickly runs to the two men. During that time, Alaric yanks his arm out of Klaus' grip, clearly ready for a fight. The brunette gets in between the two men, immediately stopping the eventual fight.

"Dad, it's enough, please." She pleads.

"Listen to your daughter, Alaric." Klaus says through gritted-teeth.

"Fuck you!" The blond man shouts.

Then, Alaric quickly looks around and sees the attention they have gathered. Everyone is looking at them with horror, some even a little scared. Suddenly, Caroline breaks through the crowd with a severe expression on her face, quickly followed by Lizzie and Matt Donovan, the sheriff of the town.

She looks Alaric straight in the eyes. "We're leaving."

Caroline wraps an arm around Josie's shoulders, and tugs her close.

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

Josie shudders and tries to snuggle more into her mother as she's guided outside the house. She looks over her shoulder, her eyes instantly locking with Hope's. She can't read her friend's face, so she quickly turns back to look ahead of herself. Shame and guilt take a hold of her. 

She nods, just so her mother wouldn't worry. 

The brunette is so far from being fine though. Her father's words keep repeating themselves inside her head.

_ Dyke _ .

_ Fucked up lifestyle. _

_ Perversions _ .

_ Hell _ .

_ Sins _ .

She can never let anyone know how she feels about Hope, or even about women in general. Her own father would hate this part of herself. He would hate what she is. He would think something's wrong with her. 

Josie can't get over how angry he got, how crazy he looked, how mean his words were. 

She sits in the backseat of her mother's car, and is a little surprised when Lizzie decides to sit there with her. The blonde sits in the middle seat, and cuddles into her twin's side. Josie swallows the lump in her throat, hoping it will make it easier to force a smile. She does her best, but the smile quickly turns into sobs. Lizzie's arms tighten around her and she whispers soothing words, trying to calm her down. 

Caroline gives a quick look to her daughter. "Oh, Josie… I am so sorry you had to witness that. Don't feel bad about what your father did, his actions are not yours. You don't have to take responsability for them."

Josie's sobs only get louder at that, and no one has a clue why, not even the brunette. 

Later that night, after a long shower and some more crying, Josie slips under the covers of her bed. She takes her phone from the nightstand, daring to look at it for the first time since they left the Mikaelson home.

**9 missed calls from Hope** **❤**

**4 text messages from Hope ❤**

Josie hesitates to look at the messages, biting her bottom lip in the process. Finally, she decides to open them.

**Hope ❤ :**

_ are u okay? _

_ its been an hour. call me back _

_ please, Jo. i'm worried _

_ fuck it. i'm coming over _

Josie's brown eyes get bigger as she reads the last message. It's been sent 12 minutes ago, which means Hope should be here soon. She quickly gets out of bed and runs to open the lights of her room. She looks at herself… Hair in a messy bun, eyes red and puffy, lips even more pouty than they usually are. She groans, and intends to go to the bathroom to try and make herself look presentable, but a sound coming from her window stops her.

The Saltzman girl rushes to the window, and her heart stops beating when she sees Hope standing on her balcony. She quickly opens the window.

"Are you crazy?!" She whispers-shout. "You could have fallen!"

"I needed to see you. I was so worried, and you were not answering my calls and my texts." Hope answers as she hops into the house. "Ringing the doorbell seemed like a bad idea since there's no lights on in the house, so I climbed."

"During the winter? With the snow and everything, you could have died!"

Hope looks right into Josie's eyes. "I told you. I needed to see you."

Suddenly, Josie's exhaustion seems to catch up with her. All her anger disappears, and her shoulders drop as she sighs. She uses her hands to rub her face, and before she knows it, she's being pulled in the most comforting arms she's ever known. With her hands still on her face, Josie starts crying again. Hope's embrace never falters. Josie even feels little kisses on her shoulder as her best friend rubs soothing circles on her back. 

The sadness and shame she feels are so overwhelming that it doesn't register until way later that Hope moved them to the bed. She finds herself laying on her side, still in Hope's arms as the auburn haired girl is spooning her. The height difference makes it a little awkward, but neither of them seem to care. Hope never stops holding her, and she gently caress the skin of Josie's arm to give her as much comfort as she can. It takes a long time before Josie's sobs stop, and even when they do, the girls don't speak. They lay there in silence, their bodies pressed up together. 

At one point, Hope's phone rings, and she quickly gets it out of her pocket. Josie feels her movement behind her, but the Mikaelson girl doesn't answer or speak.

"It was an alarm." Hope explains. "It's… It's midnight. Happy new year, Jo."

The irony of her friend's words makes Josie gives a bitter chuckle.

"Happy new year, Hope."


	4. New beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!
> 
> Are you ready for a new chapter?

_ Hope & Josie - 15/15 - March 15 _

"I can't remember my lines yet, and the night of the opening is so close." Penelope whines as she walks down the hall with Josie.

"I'm sure you just need a little more practice." Josie softly says.

The brunette is carrying her books with both hands, holding them close to her chest. She learned it's the safest way to carry them after being bumped into one too many times. Josie almost sighs in relief when she finally catches sight of her locker, and then she quickly walks to it. Penelope still follows her. The raven haired girl leans on the locker next to Josie's, her eyes never leaving the Saltzman girl. Josie leaves her books in her locker, puts some others in her backpack and then takes her jacket.

"You know…" Penelope starts. "Maybe if I had a better partner-"

Josie frowns. "Trevor is a great actor."

The older girl resists the urge to roll her eyes. "I know, but there's no chemistry between us and that gets in the way of my learning process."

Josie stops her movement as she's putting her jacket on. Her eyes lock with Penelope, and she's not sure of what she sees in the ravenette's eyes. It gets her a little confused, so she keeps putting her jacket on, breaking eye contact.

"Is there someone-"

"Go over the lines with me." Penelope quickly asks.

"M-me?" Josie deadpans as a blush quickly covers her cheeks.

Penelope softly chuckles and shakes her head.

"You're adorable when your face gets all red." She stops chuckling, and gets serious as she looks Josie in the eyes. "But yes, you."

"I-I, uh.."

"Josie!" 

The brunette sighs in relief.

_ Saved by the bell.  _ Josie thinks as she turns around and sees Hope getting closer. 

Josie quickly turns back to Penelope and gives her an awkward smile as the short haired girl tries to mask her annoyance. The brunette still wonders what happened between Hope and Penelope for them to have such a clear distaste for each other. As Hope comes to a stop near them, she gives a barely contained glare to Penelope.

"Are you ready to go? My mother is waiting for us already, and Lizzie is complaining about you getting us late to your birthday party."

"Birthday party?" Penelope says.

Josie gives her a shy smile. "Yeah, it's our birthday today." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

The slight look of hurt on Penelope's face is enough to make Josie feel bad about not telling her friend. Without thinking much about it, the Saltzman girl quickly takes Penelope's hand in hers and gets closer to her. Her attention is so focused on the raven haired girl, that she misses Hope's frown at the gesture, and the murderous glare she sends in Penelope's way.

"I'm sorry. I-"

"We're late." Hope cuts in. "I'm sure you can sort this out tomorrow."

Josie looks at Hope, and then back to Penelope. "I'll help you with your lines tomorrow, okay?"

The short haired girl finally smiles. "Okay."

Josie squeezes her hand, says a quiet goodbye and then starts to walk away with her best friend. Hope opens her mouth to speak, but she's quickly cut off.

"Happy birthday, Jojo!" Penelope calls out.

The Saltzman girl looks behind herself over her shoulder, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"Thank you!"

As soon as they walk out of the school, Hope snorts.

"Jojo? What the hell is this nickname?"

Josie looks at the Mikaelson girl, not really understanding the venom in Hope's words. She frowns and looks at Hope curiously.

"What's wrong with it? I think it's cute." The brunette says with a shrug.

"You're not five!" 

They get to the car of Hope's mother just as Hope says that. The auburn haired girl opens the door of the car and gestures at Josie to get in. The brunette does, but not without rolling her eyes. Hope closes the door, and as she walks to the other side of the car, she mentally scolds herself. 

_ What right do you have to act this way?  _ Hope bitterly thinks.

She quickly gets into the car too, and sits next to Josie in the backseat. Josie's warm brown eyes are fixed to the car's floor, and she looks sad. The sight breaks Hope's heart. As soon as she sits down next to the brunette, Josie's head snaps up.

"I'm sorry." They say at the same time.

Lizzie quickly turns to look at them from the passenger seat.

"No! No, no, no! I refuse to have drama on this day." The blonde firmly says. "Whatever happened, pack it up in a box and only open it tomorrow."

"It's fine." Josie quickly says. "We're fine. It was nothing, right Hope?"

Hope swallows with difficulty and then forces a smile.

_ No, we're not. _ She can't help but think.

"Yeah, we're fine."

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 15/15 - March 16 _

Josie sighs as she wonders where Hope is. It's not like her to be late for lunch. The brunette is sitting down between MG and Maya at their usual lunch table. 

She half listens to MG's rant about the newest Marvel movie. She's not even sure she understands what he's talking about, so she's grateful Kaleb is actually keeping track with MG. On her other side, Maya is having a conversation with Wendy about the cheerleading team, not a conversation Josie could jump in either.

That's when she finally sees her best friend walk in the direction of their table. A smile immediately appears on her face before slowly beginning to falter. 

Ethan is walking with Hope, his arm thrown over her shoulders. He says something that makes Hope laugh and throw her head back. His smile gets a little smug as he looks down at Hope, clearly pleased with himself.

Josie can actually feel her heart sink in her chest. Even all the way from here, it's pretty clear they're flirting. It makes Josie feel like she's going to be sick, and she's reminded of the time Hope told her she kissed Landon all those years ago. She's reminded that she'll never be the one for Hope, and that she'll never be good enough. 

The wave of feelings is violent. She feels helpless, angry and sad. But most importantly, she feels like a coward. Josie knows she'll never be able to tell Hope how she feels, and she's condemned to watch and want from afar. 

The Saltzman girl quickly gathers her lunch and puts everything back in her lunchbox. She doesn't answer when her friends ask her what's up, actually, she barely hears them. It feels like her ears are buzzing. She's gone before Hope and Ethan make it to the table.

She quickly walks to the auditorium, knowing full well some of the theatre kids are there to practice. As soon as she walks in, Josie looks at the stage and sees Penelope standing there proudly. The brunette stays by the door for a while, just looking at the raven haired girl practicing her lines. She's unaware of the fact that Penelope saw her walk in.

After a moment, Josie goes to sit down. She starts eating her sandwich again, hoping to just feel a little better. 

"Hey, you." Penelope softly says as she sits down in the seat next to Josie's. 

The brunette lifts her head to look at her friend, but she doesn't manage to smile. Her heart broke into so many pieces that she doesn't even know how she could put the pieces back together. 

"Why the sad face, Jojo?" The short haired girl asks.

"Have you ever had your heart broken?" Josie asks, her voice shaking. 

Penelope hums with a nod. 

"H-how do you deal with that?" 

Penelope sighs. "You try to move on. To forget the person who broke your heart."

"I tried to move on! It doesn't work. She's always-" Josie quickly stops talking when she catches what she just said.

The brunette's eyes grow wide and she quickly covers her mouth with her hands. The tears start falling from her eyes before she can even register that she is about to cry. The reality of what she just said out loud makes her heart pound in her chest painfully. Penelope quickly places a comforting hand on Josie's shoulder, but it seems to have the opposite effect when the brunette winces and pulls away.

"Josie, it's okay." Penelope says, as quietly as she can. "There's nothing to be scared of."

"P-please. Can you just act like you heard nothing at all? I-I didn't mean t-to-"

Penelope stops her. "I won't act like you didn't just confide something really important to me, but I won't tell anyone. You have my word."

Josie shakes her head. "I'm not… gay." 

Penelope looks around them and when she sees all the people around the auditorium, she sighs.

"Look, I don't think we should talk about this here if you want your secret to still be one." Josie's eyes grow comically wide, and it makes Penelope lightly chuckle. "Come over to my house after school, we'll have a nice little chat, okay?"

Josie nods. 

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - June 19 _

It's the last day of school and Josie already feels so free even though she still has 8 hours of classes to go through. She walks to her locker, and opens it. A soft smile plays on her lips when she sees the inside of her locker door. There's a picture of her and Lizzie, but the picture that really makes her smile is of Hope and her. They were just goofing around on Hope's birthday that year, and Hayley took a beautiful picture of this moment. She takes it off from the door and looks at it fondly.

"I love this picture." Hope softly says.

Josie jumps, having not seen her best friend coming. Hope laughs lightly and stops next to Josie's locker.

"Are you cleaning your locker already?"

Josie shrugs. "Yeah."

"People usually do that at the end of the day." 

"Well, I will be able to just go home at the end of the day."

Hope smiles. "Yeah, good point." She clears her throat. "Uh, Jo… I have something to tell you."

Josie gives her best friend all her attention. "Yeah?"

"I-I, uh…" She takes a deep breath. "Look, I know we said we'd go to the dance together, but Ethan asked me to go with him."

"Oh." Josie's face falls.

Hope immediately sees the change in her best friend, so she decides to backtrack. 

"You know what? Forget it. I'll just tell him-"

"Go with him." Josie cuts her off. "It's fine."

Hope bites her lip. "Are you sure?"

Josie does her best to smile, and she nods. Hope seems to buy it, because she smiles back and quickly pulls Josie in for a hug.

"You're the best, you know that, right?" Hope says in Josie's ear.

Josie breathes in deeply to steady herself. When she's sure it's safe to speak, and that she won't start to cry, she decides to reply.

"Same goes to you."

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - June 20 _

Sitting alone on the bleachers of the gym while everyone dances the night away was so far from how Josie had imagined this night would go. It's her last night as a High School freshman, she thought it would somehow feel special, but all she feels is loneliness. 

Her sister is somewhere on the dance floor with some boy Josie didn't bother to learn the name of. MG is with Kaleb on the dance floor since they are now best friends. As for Hope… Josie doesn't even dare to look for her own best friend.

She sighs and even thinks about just calling her mom to ask her to pick her up, but then the music slows down and couples start to take over the dancefloor. That's when Josie sees Hope. Ethan holds Hope's body close to his, and her arms go around his neck. The sight brings her back to a time she was the one holding the Mikaelson girl this close. She remembers quite perfectly the night where Hope brought her to an empty classroom to have an intimate dance. 

"Hey Jojo…"

Josie quickly straightens up and looks at Penelope. That's when she feels the single tear that fell on her cheek. The brunette quickly wipes it away, and tries to give the ravenette her best smile.

"Penny, hi."

The Park girl takes a seat next to Josie before she looks down at the dancing couples.

"It's her, uh?"

Josie follows Penelope's gaze, and she's not surprised to find herself looking at Hope once more. The pain in her chest is unbearable, so she tears her eyes away. 

"Of course, it's her…" Penelope sighs.

"Why don't you like Hope?" Josie asks, trying to change the subject.

Penelope chuckles. "Because she's Little Miss Perfect. Perfect grades, perfect friends, perfect family, perfect life…"

Josie frowns. "I don't understand."

"It makes me all so angry, Josie." Penelope says, her eyes showing her anger. "So, I picked fights with her. For one thing or another. I didn't care." Penelope sighs. "My life is… not so perfect. I just needed to let it out somehow. Hope seemed like a perfect target. I know it's not fair, but she fought back, so…" She shrugs.

Josie feels conflicted. On one side, she wants to defend Hope and make Penelope see that her friend doesn't deserve this. But on the other side, she kinda feels bad for Penelope and understands why the girl needs an outlet.

"I wish I could ask you to dance with me." Penelope softly says.

Josie quickly looks back at her, panic written all over her face. 

"Don't look so afraid, Jojo. I'm not actually asking you for a dance." She says with a soft smile. "But… can I hold your hand?"

Josie looks away from Penelope, pondering her answer. She kinda wants to hold Penelope's hand, but there's a voice inside her head screaming at her to refuse.

"You don't have to, but no one is looking at us. It could just be two friends holding hands."

Josie makes her decision. Without looking back at the raven haired girl, Josie extends her hand, silently offering it to Penelope. Soft fingers slip through hers, and make her heart skip a beat. 

_ This is different. Not bad… but different.  _ Josie thinks with a sigh.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - July 14 _

**1 text message from Hope «3**

Josie smiles and quickly opens it.

**Hope ❤ :**

_ i'm here!  _

The brunette quickly walks down the stairs. She's not surprised to see her sister waiting for her. Lizzie groans as she looks at her from head to toes.

"Josie, when are you gonna stop dressing up like a ten year old?"

Josie looks down at her outfit, seeing nothing wrong with her baby blue shortalls and her simple white shirt. 

"Lizzie, stop criticizing your sister." Caroline scolds. "You look cute, sweetie. Don't listen to your sister."

"I'm just saying that if she ever wants to get a boyfrie-"

"Lizzie, it's enough." 

"I like my outfit." Josie says as she walks around her sister. "It's not like you'll hang out with me anyway." She grabs her jacket. "Hope is waiting for us, come on."

Josie goes to the door, quickly followed by her twin.

"Bye mom, I love you!" The brunette says as she walks out.

"Love you!" Lizzie says too.

"I love you too! Be car-" The door closes before Caroline can finish her sentence. 

Hope is waiting for them outside her car with her phone in hands. Josie forces herself to smile even though she knows Hope must be texting Ethan, her boyfriend. She's doing her best to follow Penelope's advice. 

_ Try to move on. Forget the person that broke your heart. _

It doesn't take long for the auburn haired girl to notice their presence. She quickly puts her phone back in the pocket of her jeans, and looks at Josie with a bright smile. The smile alone sends Josie's heart in overdrive, but the deep white V neck t-shirt Hope is wearing might Josie give a heart attack. 

The Mikaelson girl quickly pulls her best friend in a tight hug. Josie just knows that she must be a very deep shade of red by now, she just hopes nobody will notice. 

"Hi Jo." Hope says as she breaks their hug.

"Hi." Josie replies, her voice being more high-pitched than it usually is.

"Are you okay?" Hope asks with a frown.

"Me? Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be okay? I have no reason to be anything but okay. It's a beautiful day, and we're gonna have fun. And you know, maybe we should just go because if we don't we'll get there late and-"

Lizzie interrupts Josie's rant. "What is wrong with you?"

"I just told you! Nothing's wrong!"

Lizzie and Hope share a look, but then the Mikaelson girl shrugs. 

"Well, if you're sure."

"I am." Josie says with her best smile. "Let's go!"

"I'm taking the fr-" Lizzie starts.

"Backseat." Hope firmly finishes for her.

The older girl opens the door of the passenger seat of her car and gestures at Josie to get inside. As the brunette does, she sees her sister cross her arms and pout, and she almost gives in and lets Lizzie take the front seat. But the way Hope smiles at her convinces her to just get in the passenger seat.

As soon as they are all inside the car, Hope starts driving. It's new to have Hope driving them somewhere. The Mikaelson girl got her license only a couple of days ago. Josie smiles softly as she watches how Hope gets so focused on the road. She has a light frown and both of her hands are tightly holding on the steering wheel.

The view that awaits them in the center of the town has them all gasping. A funfair decided to stop in Mystic Falls for the weekend, to the joy of everyone in town. There are lots of rides and food places, and laughs can be heard from far away. 

When they get out of the car, the sounds, the smells and the laughs come crashing through Josie and fills her with happiness. It takes a total of 5 seconds before Lizzie sees her friends and disappears with them, leaving Hope and Josie alone. 

Hope shrugs, not minding the blonde's disappearance at all. She takes one of Josie's hands in hers and starts walking toward the funfair. They look around with awe, trying to take it all in.

"What do you wanna try first?" Hope asks.

"I'm not su-"

"Hey, shortcake!" Ethan's booming voice calls out. 

Josie can't stop herself from rolling her eyes at the cheesy nickname. It doesn't take long before Ethan pulls Hope in for a kiss, a sight Josie quickly avoids. There's only so much her heart can take. Luckily, the Mikaelson girl cuts the kiss short with a little awkward laugh. Josie turns her head to look at the couple, and she just wishes she could erase Ethan's stupid smirk. 

Hope gently pushes him away. "Ethan… I'm here with Josie, and you were supposed to-"

The boy leans close to her ear, whispering something to her. The way Hope blushes and avoids Josie's eyes makes the brunette feel like she could be sick. Josie silently watches as Hope's eyes go to the ground and the girl bites her lip, still listening to what her boyfriend is saying.

"Well, obviously your boyfriend wants some alone time with you." Josie manages to say. "You should go."

Hope's head quickly snaps up, and blue meets brown.

"What? Jo, wait-"

"No, it's fine." Josie says as she shakes her head. "Have a great time."

Josie smiles at her friend before she turns around to walk away. Hope quickly gets out of Ethan's arms to run after her. When she manages to catch up to the brunette, Hope places herself in front of her to keep her from walking.

"Jo… You didn't even let me talk." Hope says, her eyes full of hurt.

The Saltzman girl hugs herself with one arm, her left hand resting on her right elbow. She avoids her best friend's eyes, knowing the ocean blue orbs must have a storm in them. 

"We were supposed to spend this day together." Hope says again. 

"Plans change." Josie says with a shrug. "You have a boyfriend now. It's normal that you spend more time with him than with me."

"Is that what you think?" Hope says, unable to keep the surprise off of her face. "I don't think I spend more time with Ethan than I do with you. I try to separate my time equally between the two of you."

"You do! I just… I don't want to keep you away from him." Josie lets out, still not meeting Hope's eyes. "You should spend your time with your boyfriend, be happy, be… in love."

"In love?" Hope says with a frown. "I'm not sure I'm there yet. We're just… dating, having fun."

Now it's Josie's time to frown. "What's the point of dating him, if you don't love him?"

"It's not… It's more complicated than that." Hope sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "Look, Ethan is nice, funny and easy going. It's exactly what I need right now."

Josie resists the urge to roll her eyes, but her voice is dripping with sarcasm when she speaks next.

"I'm glad you found him then." 

"What's gotten into you tonight?!" Hope starts to lose patience.

"Me?" Josie says, a little offended. "Absolutely nothing! It's you! You-"

Hope cuts her off. "You know what? You're right. I'll just spend the night with Ethan. Call when you want me to take you home."

Without waiting for an answer, Hope turns around and walks away. Josie stands there, a little shocked by everything that just happened. She watches the retreating form of her best friend, watches as Ethan wraps an arm around her shoulders and guides her away and watches as Hope disappears in the crowd.

The brunette isn't sure of what she's feeling. She can't tell if it's anger, helplessness or even sadness. The only thing she knows for sure is that she wants to scream. If she was in her room, she'd reach for a pillow, bury her face into it and release her most piercing scream. The thing is, she's in the middle of a crowd, and their little fight already gathered some eyes. So the only thing she feels like she can do is to ball her hands into fists.

All of a sudden, Josie hears a whistle from behind her.

"Wow, Jojo… You should teach me how to piss her off like that."

Josie quickly turns to glare at Penelope. The raven haired girl raises her hands in surrender, not even daring to let out a chuckle.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have." She says as soon as she's close enough. "Are you okay?"

Josie looks everywhere but at Penelope. She takes deep breaths, not trusting her voice. 

"Hey, it's okay." The short haired girl says softly. "Do you… want to walk around the fair with me?"

After a couple of seconds of hesitation, Josie agrees. 

They walk side by side, and Penelope tries to cheer Josie up. She doesn't make the brunette talk, but does her best to make her think about anything but Hope Mikaelson. They play some games, and go on some rides. They eat all sorts of sweet stuff. In fact, they eat so much sweets that Josie feels a little sick at some point, but she at least she's having fun. The way Penelope is with her today seems to also help. Josie is 95% sure that the older girl is flirting with her, and it makes her feel  _ good _ .

The hours go by so quickly that it gets dark before Josie knows it. She saw Hope here and there, but they both did their best to avoid each other. Josie does notice how surprised the Mikaelson girl looks when she sees the brunette with Penelope. Hope's eyes go wide, and then she frowns, clearly not pleased with Josie's company. The Saltzman girl does her best to ignore it, she shouldn't care about what Hope's thinking right now. They are fighting after all.

When the sky gets dark, everything around them seems to light up. The most noticeable thing is the big ferris wheel standing in the middle of the place. Blue and yellow lights are illuminating the ride, making it stand out in some kind of magical way. Josie can't seem to tear her eyes away from it. Then, she feels Penelope's fingers lacing with hers, and her eyes fall to their hands.

"Wanna go for a ride?" Penelope asks with a charming smile. 

Josie smiles back and nods her head excitedly, suddenly looking much younger than 15 years old. 

They walk together to the ferris wheel, their hands still linked together. The line to get on the ride is the longest it's been all day. It seems everyone was waiting for the night to fall to go on the ferris wheel. 

Neither girl seems to mind the wait though. They wait in line, and for the first time that day, none of them is talking. Josie's still trying to not overanalyze the fact that they are still holding hands, while Penelope tries to enjoy every second she gets to hold the younger girl's hand. They're both sporting a faint blush, and avoid to look at each other until they get to the front of the line. When they're the next to get on the ride, Josie chances at glance at Penelope, only to see the girl looking back at her with that same charming smile she had on earlier. They stare at each other for a couple of seconds, and then the ride stops.

The man who works at the ferris wheel opens the metal door with a smile.

"Good evening ladies! Come in!" 

Josie and Penelope do as they're told, sending smiles and greetings to the man as they walk by him. They sit down in the booth, and the man closes the bar meant to keep them from falling. He goes back to his console, and soon enough, the wheel starts turning again. 

"I didn't tell you earlier, but you look beautiful tonight." Penelope says, her voice low and soft.

The brunette looks at the raven haired girl with surprise. Her eyes are bigger than usual, and a faint blush covers her cheeks.

"Lizzie said I look like I'm 10." She finds herself blurting out. 

Penelope's laughter is unexpected, and Josie finds herself staring as the older girl's nose adorably scrunches up. 

"Y-your sister doesn't know what she's talking about." Penelope says as she catches her breath. "You look adorable… innocent even." Penelope lifts a hand to place a loose lock of Josie's hair behind her ear. "It perfectly suits you."

"I-I, uh… Thank you." Josie says before swallowing hard. "You're beautiful too. I mean, you always are, but ton-"

"Josie." Penelope cuts her off. "Can I kiss you?"

Nervosity takes a hold on Josie, and she instinctively looks around as if to make sure nobody can hear them. It's only then that she realises that the ferris wheel stopped, and they're now at the top of it. The view they have of the town is breathtaking, and it makes Josie look around with awe. 

Suddenly, she remembers Penelope's request, and quickly turns back to the raven haired girl. The older girl is still waiting, patient as ever, and with a soft smile on her lips. Josie takes a deep breath, and leans back into the booth, then she nods.

Penelope slowly leans in, giving the brunette all the time she'd need to push her away, but Josie doesn't. When their lips touch, Josie quickly closes her eyes. It's a very chaste kiss, the press of Penelope's lips on hers is soft and light and the feeling she gets from the kiss is good. The Saltzman girl knows she should somehow reciprocate the kiss, but it feels like something is stopping her.

Maybe it's the fact that she's in love with Hope.

Or maybe it has something to do with the weird feeling she has in her stomach.

Or… maybe it's just the voice of her father in the back of her mind.

Josie is kind of relieved when the wheel starts turning again, and Penelope pulls away. They share shy smiles, but neither of them say a word. When they stop again, it's to get out of the ride. They walk out side by side, but Josie quickly lets go of Penelope's hand. 

"Josie-"

"Thank you for tonight, Penny." The brunette quickly says. "It's getting late, and I should go."

Penelope's face falls, and Josie immediately feels bad. She quickly looks around, and when she sees no familiar faces, she leans in and leaves a soft kiss on the older girl's cheek. Then, she takes a little step back, putting some space between them.

"You made my first kiss feel really special. Thank you."

Josie turns around and walks away without looking back. She feels a wave of anxiety wash through her as all the events of the day replay inside her head. The brunette gets her phone out of her pocket and quickly types a message to Hope.

**To Hope ❤ :**

_ i need 2 go home. i'll be waiting by ur car.  _

_ please… hurry _

Josie gets to the car in no time. She starts pacing next to it, her brain refusing to shut up. She just wishes she could erase this night. Or at least parts of it.

"Jo?"

Josie's eyes were previously fixed to the ground, but as soon as she hears her best friend's voice her head snaps up and she meets Hope's eyes. The auburn haired girl's face is painted with worry, and in a matter of seconds she's holding Josie close. The Saltzman girl quickly hugs Hope back, not even thinking twice about it. 

It feels like the fight they had earlier that day never happened as Hope whispers comforting words to Josie. But then, people start to leave the fair, and they seem to attract curious eyes. So, Hope gently guides Josie inside the car. 

The Mikaelson girl drives Josie home. Unlike their earlier ride, Hope does look at her friend from time to time… Only to make sure Josie's okay. It makes her so sad to see her best friend trying to make herself look small in the passenger seat. Looking… scared and sad, all at once. 

As soon as she parks her car in front of Josie's house, Hope tries to talk to Josie. reaches out to take Josie's hand, but the brunette winces away. 

"Josie, talk to me." The brunette says nothing. "Come on! I can't help if I have no idea of what's going on." She reaches out to take Josie's hand, but the brunette winces away. "I-" Hope stops talking and her face becomes angry. "I'm gonna kill Penelope Park!"

"No!" Josie suddenly says. "Sh-she did nothing wrong."

"Then why the fuck are you in this state?!"

"I think I like girls." Josie says before covering her mouth with both hands.

Just like when she accidently came out to Penelope four months ago, Josie can't help the tears spilling on her cheeks. It feels like the world stops turning as Hope looks at her in shock. Then, all of a sudden, understanding washes over the auburn haired girl. Her face goes from shock to a mix of understanding and pity. 

The Mikaelson girl lifts her hand and gently places it on the back of Josie's neck, under her hair. Just as gently, Hope pulls Josie in until their foreheads are resting on each other. The brunette watches as her best friend closes her eyes, and something tells her she's meant to do the same. 

"Listen to me, Josie, okay? Listen to me very carefully." Hope starts. "You are… the purest human being I know. You love with your whole heart, and care about others in such a way, that you forget about yourself. I never, ever want you to think there's something wrong with you." 

Hope's thumb softly caresses Josie's jawline. The Mikaelson girl takes a deep breath before speaking again.

"Open your eyes." Josie does, and she's immediately staring in Hope's watery ones. "I love you so much, Josie Saltzman. I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure you love yourself at least as much as I love you."

"Y-you don't care? That I-I like… girls?"

Hope moves back, breaking their contact, only to let out a laugh. Josie watches, a bit dumbfound at her friend's reaction. 

"Josie… my aunt is married to a woman, remember?"

"I know that!" Josie defends herself. 

Hope laughs a little again. "I see no problem at all, Jo. You like girls, so what?"

The auburn haired girl leans back into her seat, her head turned to look at Josie. The brunette does the same, and when their eyes lock together, she even manages to smile.

"So… Did something happen to prompt this coming out?" Hope softly asks.

Josie feels a blush cover her face, but she doesn't look away from Hope.

"Penelope kissed me."

Hope straightens up, her eyes wide. "You had your first kiss tonight?!"

Josie giggles. "Yeah?"

There's a flicker of something on Hope's face. It's gone so fast that Josie can't put a word on it… Anger? Shock? Maybe it's because she had her first kiss with Penelope Park? Hope's next smile seems a bit forced, but Josie doesn't comment on it.

"Tell me more." The Mikaelson girl ends up saying.

"It was at the top of the ferris wheel…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what did you think?
> 
> As always, thank you so much for the comments and kudos you leave on this fic.
> 
> You're all amazing! Stay safe!!


	5. The world comes crashing down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> There's just a little thing I wanna say before you read this chapter. Josie is exploring her sexuality and doesn't know how to label herself yet. The words lesbian, gay and bisexual are used in this chapter, but Josie's sexuality will be true to the show, she's pansexual and will identify as such in later chapters!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you're ready for this one.

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - August _

**Penny :**

_ Hey beautiful _

_ I miss ur eyes _

Josie blushes as she reads the texts on the screen of her phone. 

There's soft music playing in the room, rain tapping on the window, and not far from the bed, Hope is sketching at Josie's desk. Growing up, they shared countless days like this one. Quiet days in, both in their own little world. Hope would be sketching or even painting, and Josie would be reading a book or really just spend time on her phone. They are in the same room, and that's enough for them most of the time. 

"I can't believe you're blushing for... " Hope pauses to whisper the rest of her sentence. "Penelope Park."

Josie's eyes quickly leave her phone to fall on her best friend. Apparently, Hope stopped sketching. The auburn haired girl still has her pencil in hand, but her attention is on Josie. Hope is looking at the brunette, and her jaw is visibly clenched. Josie knows Hope and Penelope are not each other's biggest fan. She heard Penelope's reasons, but not Hope's. 

"Why do you hate Penelope?" Josie asks.

Hope rolls her eyes. "She's a bitch, Jo. I can't believe  _ you _ actually like  _ her _ ."

Josie shakes her head. "She's not. You just… had a bad experience with her. If you'd just give her a chance, I'm sure you two could actually get along."

Hope sighs and leaves her pencil on the desk, next to her sketchbook. Then, she stands up, only to walk to the bed and let herself fall face first next to Josie on the bed. She groans, her face buried in the blanket. Josie chuckles as she leaves her phone on the nightstand before laying on her back next to Hope. Gently, she lifts her hand and pushes Hope's hair out of her eyes. The simple gesture is enough to put a soft smile on the Mikaelson girl's lips.

"Tell her to stop being a bitch… and I'll make some efforts. For you, not for her."

Josie can't stop the smile that plays on her lips at that. 

"I will. Thank you, Hope."

Hope groans again, and turns to lay on her back.

"The stuff I do for you…" 

"Hey!" Josie slaps her best friend's arm.

"Ow!" Hope's eyes go wide before narrowing.

In no time, Hope is straddling Josie. The brunette knows what is gonna happen as soon as she feels her best friend's weight on her, but it doesn't stop her eyes from widening.

"Hope, plea-"

Josie doesn't get to finish her sentence because Hope is already attacking her sides with her fingers. The brunette's laughter immediately fills the room, as well as her pleas. Hope's tickles are fast and precise, she knows exactly where Josie's weak spots her. After all, she has years of training. 

The auburn haired girl only stops her attack when Josie's laughter gets so bad that tears are falling from her eyes. It takes a little while for the brunette to catch her breath after the tickles are over, and Hope is left staring at her slightly panting best friend. Josie's cheeks have a nice little shade of pink, her lips are even more pouty than they usually are and her beautiful brown eyes are unfortunately closed.

The Saltzman girl manages to calm down, and when her breathing is normal again, she opens her eyes. Hope is still straddling her, and she's staring down at her. Josie wishes she could know what's going on in her best friend's beautiful head. She used to be so good at reading Hope when they were kids, but now it only seemed to get harder. 

"Do you really like Penelope?" Hope drops, her eyes locking with Josie's.

The question hits Josie like a ton of bricks. It makes her blink a couple of times as it slowly sinks in. She opens her mouth just to close it a second later, no words coming out at all. Hope's eyes never leave her.

"S-she's nice." Josie manages to say.

"That's not what I asked." Hope's answer is snappy.

The brunette frowns, suddenly annoyed by Hope's manners. She pushes her best friend off of her lap gently, but firmly.

"Am I not allowed to see someone, Hope?"

"I just think-"

"You're dating Ethan because it's easy and fun, aren't you?" Josie watches as Hope's jaw clenches and she nods. "Well, I'm seeing Penelope because she's nice and she makes me feel good."

"I just think you deserve better than that." Hope says as she stands up from the bed and crosses her arms.

Josie shakes her head. "You don't know Penelope. And you know what? I was expecting you to be a little more supportive."

The Mikaelson girl's face falls, and it almost makes Josie regret her words. She hates being the reason why Hope doesn't smile. Josie stands up too, as she opens her mouth to apologize, but then Hope covers her face with both of her hands and lets out a groan.

"I'm sorry, Jo." Hope says as she drops her hands. "It's just that… I'm scared you're putting yourself in a potentially dangerous situation for a girl you're not in love with."

Josie's heart sinks. Her father's words come to mind, and it makes her feel dizzy and uncomfortable. The brunette goes right back to sitting down on her bed. She starts nervously playing with her fingers, her eyes fixed to them. Hope sits down next to her, but Josie doesn't dare to look at her. 

After a moment, she swallows the lump in her throat.

"I know, okay?" She says quietly. "I know it's not the best idea, but what choice do I have? I-I need to know if what I feel is… true."

Hope sighs, and places one hand on top of Josie's. "Do you...do you think you're gay?"

The brunette shakes her head. "No."

"But… you think you like girls?" Josie nods. "So, bisexual, then?"

"I don't know. I don't wanna label myself until I'm sure about the word I wanna use."

"Oh, okay." Hope squeezes Josie's hands. "Look, you'll figure this out. I'm sure you will."

Josie finally looks up at her best friend. Hope's soft smile and encouraging eyes are enough to make Josie smile back at her. The brunette leans closer until she can rest her forehead on Hope's shoulder. It doesn't take long before the Mikaelson girl starts playing with Josie's soft brown locks. The simple touch is enough to make Josie feel more for Hope than she ever did for Penelope, and she actually kissed Penelope. 

Josie almost moves away when the realisation dawns on her, but then Hope's nails are gently scraping her scalp, and the brunette's eyes flutter closed. Maybe she could just enjoy this a little while longer.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - September _

"You should go talk to her."

Josie quickly turns her head around to look at her best friend. Hope is looking at her with that same look she gets every time they talk about Penelope Park. The thing is Josie still doesn't know what that look means. She tried figuring it out, but there's nothing to do, it stays a mystery. The brunette avoids Hope's eyes, deciding to look at the ground instead as she crosses her arms defensively.

"I don't know, Hope…"

The Mikaelson girl rolls her eyes. "Josie, I'm not telling you to go over to her and make out. Just go to talk to her, you know? She's your-"

Josie glares at Hope. "I already told you. We're not… dating. She's not my…" She lowers her voice. "Girlfriend, and I am not her's."

Hope's eyes get some kind of fire when Josie says the word "girlfriend". She looks at the brunette with a weird kind of intensity, like the word made something switch in her. Then, the auburn haired girl avoids Josie's eyes and downs the remaining alcohol from her cup. 

"She's been staring at you since the second we walked in." Hope says, her eyes still not meeting Josie's. "And… you've been glancing at her every time you can. You father will never know. Most people around us are already wasted, and probably won't even notice you're talking to her." 

She sighs, and then looks up and directly at Josie. For some reason, Josie can't help but think that Hope's smile is not as genuine as it could be.

"Just go, Jo." Hope says softly. "I'll find Ethan."

At the mention of the boy's name, Josie's heart painfully twitches. She has learned to just deal with the pain by now, even though she wonders if it'll always be there. A lingering pain that never seems to go away. Still, the brunette smiles and nods her head. The two best friends look at each other for a little while longer before breaking eye contact and then parting ways. 

When Josie starts walking in Penelope's way, the raven haired girl immediately sees her. There's a soft smile on her lips, a smile she keeps for Josie. The brunette watches as Penelope seems to excuse herself to the boy she was speaking to before walking toward her too. They meet in the middle of the room, and Josie feels the nervousness rising. 

She spent time with Penelope since that night at the fair where they shared their first kiss. They met a couple of times at the Mystic Grill or at the park. They haven't kissed again though. Both places are way too public for that, Josie's father could catch them, and that would be… bad. 

"Hey, Jojo."

The brunette smiles, but she looks down, a blush covering her cheeks. 

"Hi, Penelope."

"I was wondering if you'd have the courage to talk to me tonight." 

Josie quickly looks up. "I-I, uh… Hope said I should."

Penelope lifts a brow, visibly surprised. "Really?"

The brunette nods. "She's making efforts."

Penelope rolls her eyes, and crosses her arms. "No one asked her to."

"I did." Josie said, suddenly way more annoyed than she probably should be. 

Penelope quickly uncrosses her arms, and she looks a bit taken aback. She visibly swallows before speaking again.

"Oh… Uh, then I guess I could make some too." She sighs. "Sorry, Josie…"

"Hope is very important to me, you know? You're not getting me without her."

Penelope's lips quickly lift in a distinctive smirk.

"So… Does that mean that I  _ have _ you?"

Josie's face becomes even more red than it already was. She looks at the ground and plays with her hands, her nervous habit kicking in.

"I-I…"

Penelope chuckles. "I'm messing with you, Jojo." Her smirk turns into a fond smile. "Wanna go sit outside with me?"

Josie takes a quick glance at the backyard of Jed's house through the window. There's some teens there, but way less than inside. Then, her eyes go back to Penelope.

"Sure."

As soon as they are in the backyard, Penelope takes Josie's hand in her's and leads her under a tree so large that they can both lean on it, and still sit next to each other. They do have to sit close to each other though, which means their sides are pressed together. Penelope leans the back of her head against the tree, but she angles herself to always be facing Josie. After a moment, Josie does the same. 

The area where they sat is away from the main attraction of the backyard, the pool. So, no teenager really pays attention to them, or even gets close. It makes it easier for Josie to just enjoy the moment and relax. They talk about everything that comes to their minds. School, theatre, the party… 

The brunette has no idea how much time they actually spend there. All she knows is that at one point, someone is being thrown into the pool. Josie and Penelope's attention quickly diverge from each other to the noises and laughter. The brunette can't stop the smile that appears on her face when a very angry and wet Kaleb emerges from the pool. What she doesn't notice during that time is that Penelope's attention doesn't stay on the pool for long. Soon, the ravenette's eyes are back on Josie, as she looks at her fondly. 

After Kaleb disappears into the house, Josie finally looks back at Penelope. The looks she is on the receiving end of makes her mouth drop a little. The brunette silently watches as Penelope's eyes go to her lips, then back to her eyes. It's a silent question that Josie can't help but answer with a nod.

This time when the ravenette's lips touch Josie's, there's no excitement. It's not her first kiss anymore. The feelings of their lips being pressed together is still good, but there's no fireworks. Josie realises with disappointment that this kiss is not what it should be, that Penelope really isn't the one she wants. 

_ I have to tell her. _ Josie tells herself when they pull away. 

The thing is, when she opens her eyes, the sight that awaits her doesn't allow her to do that. Penelope's smile is big and she seems happier than Josie ever saw her. Gently, the raven haired girl leans her forehead on Josie's, her smile never fading.

"Josie Saltzman… You're making me see stars."

Josie lets out a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah… You do, too." The lie slips through her lips.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - November 26 _

"I can't believe I'm having a double date with Hope Mikaelson." Penelope says as she sits down next to Josie in a booth of the Mystic Grill.

Josie laughs lightly, and shakes her head. "You two made so much progress though. You can have a conversation without insulting each other now. I'm proud of you."

Penelope playfully rolls her eyes. "You better be."

Josie smiles and places a quick peck on Penelope's lips. Public displays of affection are not really allowed between them, Josie made that clear, but the peck is so quick that the older girl barely feels it. It still leaves a soft smile on Penelope's face. It's easier to be affectionate with Penelope now than it was at the beginning of their relationship. Josie got used to give and receive affection, and while it will never be the love story she hoped for, it's good enough. Plus, it's helping her get over the silly feelings she was developing for Hope. 

"Hey girls!" Ethan says as he sits down in front of Penelope.

Hope waves as she sits too, holding a little gift bag in her other hand.

"Hi." Josie and Penelope say together. 

Hope slides the gift bag on the table, giving it to Josie.

"Aunt Rebekah sent this for you." The auburn haired girl crosses her arms. "You can't open it in front of me though."

"Why?" Josie asks, a little confused. 

Hope shrugs. "She wouldn't tell me." 

"Okay." Josie smiles. "Thanks for bringing it to me."

Hope nods. "Don't forget to call her and tell her what you think, or else she'll be mad."

Josie chuckles. "I won't, don't worry."

After that, the conversations start flowing naturally between the four of them. There's still some remaining tension between Hope and Penelope, but nothing too noticeable. They're both doing their best… for Josie. What they don't know is that they're not the only ones doing efforts tonight. Josie can't stand Ethan. She keeps telling herself that it has nothing to do with her feelings for Hope. Her dislike for the boy is only based on his stupid smug smile, over confidence and the way he possessively puts his arm around Hope's shoulders, like she belongs to him. Josie does her best to not let it show, and it seems to work. Hope never asked questions, and Penelope never said anything about it. 

It's just after they finish their meals that the boy says something that makes Josie's heart stop.

"So, Josie… Why did you decide to be a lesbian?" He loudly asks. 

"Ethan!" Hope hisses, slapping his arm in the process.

"What? It's just a question."

Josie quickly looks down, and starts playing with her fingers. She's trying really hard not to run away, but it's the only thing she manages to think about. It takes about 2 seconds for Penelope to cover Josie's hands with hers, and the touch is comforting. She can hear Hope and Ethan fighting, even though they try to be quiet. 

"Josie."

The voice of her father makes the brunette's head snap up. The man is standing behind Hope and Ethan, his face stern. Josie's eyes are big, and she prays that he didn't hear a thing. She has no idea how he'd react, and she really doesn't wanna know.

Josie forces a smile. "Dad, hi-"

"Take your things. I'm taking you home." He coldly says.

_ He heard everything.  _

"Dad…" Josie decides to try. "I'm here with my friends and mom-"

"Now, Josette."

The fact he used her real name is definitely not a good sign. The twins only get called "Josette" and "Elizabeth" when they do something really bad. 

Without a word, Josie puts her coat on and grabs the gift bag Hope gave her earlier. 

"Dr. Saltzman-" Hope says.

He quickly cuts her off. "Don't get involved, Hope. This doesn't concern you."

"But-"

"Hope, please don't." This time it's Josie that stops her friend.

Josie leaves the Mystic Grill under the worried eyes of her best friend and her girlfriend. He places a hand on her back, and guides her outside and straight to his truck. She doesn't dare to open her mouth during the car ride to her mother's house. Alaric's grip on the steering wheel is so tight that his knuckles turn white, and his jaw is visibly clenched. He never glances at Josie, not even once. 

He stops his truck behind Caroline's car in the home's driveway. They sit together in silence for a while. Josie is so scared that she doesn't move, barely even breathes. After what feels like eternity, Alaric looks at his daughter.

"You go straight to your room. I need to speak to your mother."

Josie feels the tears in her eyes. "Dad…"

"It's okay, Josie. We'll fix you." 

_ We'll fix you. _

The words are like a knife going straight through Josie's heart. That's what she is to her father now, a thing that needs to be fixed. It's not like she was expecting him to react well, she just didn't think he'd be so cold about it. She thought he'd at least hear her out.

The brunette rushes out of the truck. She refuses to let him see the tears sliding on her cheeks, or the pain in her eyes. She needs her mother.

"Mom!" Josie cries as soon as she walks in.

She looks into the living room but Caroline is not there. Then, she heads to the kitchen, but before she gets there, Caroline appears. The blonde woman is clearly worried, and it only gets worse when she takes a look at her daughter.

"Josie, baby, what's wrong?" Caroline asks as she holds Josie as close as possible.

The brunette buries her head in her mother's neck when she hears Alaric walk in. She can't stop the sobs escaping her, and her hold on Caroline tightens. 

"Why did your father take you home, sweetheart? I thought you were spending the night at Hope's."

"Caroline, we need to talk." Alaric says, very calmly.

The Forbes' woman looks at her ex over Josie's shoulder. 

"Our daughter is crying, Alaric. I think this talk can wait."

"It can't." He practically shouts.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Lizzie says as she walks down the stairs.

It doesn't take her long to realise she walked in a very tense situation. Caroline's eyes soften when she sees her, but turn to ice when they fall back on Alaric.

"Lizzie, you're gonna take your sister to her room, okay?" The blonde twin nods. "And stay with her, please. I think she really needs you right now."

Lizzie walks closer to Caroline and gently pulls on Josie to get her to release their mother. It takes some convincing and a lot of comforting words for the brunette to allow Lizzie to take her upstairs. They haven't reached the stairs when they hear their parents start shouting. Josie stops immediately, and looks back to the bottom of the stairs, but Lizzie keeps pulling her upstairs. When they get in Josie's bedroom, Lizzie tries to close the door, but Josie stops her. The blonde doesn't fight her.

"Talk to me, Jo… What happened?"

Josie looks at the floor, and crosses her arms over her chest. She takes several deep breaths to steady herself. It takes her a minute or two to feel like she can talk.

"I had a double date tonight…" Lizzie nods. "Ethan… He practically screamed that I'm a lesbian in the Mystic Grill." She lets out a humourless chuckle. "Guess who was there?"

"Dad…" Lizzie sighs. "How did he react?"

"He was so… cold." Josie pauses, and she lifts her head to look her sister in the eyes. "I'm so scared, Lizzie."

Josie's twin quickly gets closer to her sister. She places a comforting hand on the brunette's shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"Hey… It will be fine. I know dad can be homophobic, but he's still our father."

Josie shakes her head and there's a new flow of tears falling from her eyes. Before Lizzie can pull her into a hug, Josie quickly walks out of her room. She goes back to the stairs, and stops there. It takes less than a second for her to feel Lizzie's presence next to her. 

"There is nothing wrong with Josie!" They can hear their mother say. 

"Nothing that can't be fixed!" Alaric fights back.

"Do you hear yourself?! Josie doesn't need to be fixed, being gay is not a sin or whatever you wanna call it."

Josie suddenly feels weak, so she decides to sit down on the first step of the stairs, quickly followed by Lizzie. The blonde twin takes Josie's hand in her own, and the brunette tears her eyes away from the bottom of the stairs to look at her sister. The tears never stopped falling from her eyes, but Josie forces herself to give her twin a smile. 

"I won't allow my own flesh and blood to give in to that kind of disgusting behavior." Alaric rages. 

"And  _ I  _ won't allow you to talk about my daughter this way." Caroline says, more calm than she was before. "Get out of my house before I call Matt."

"I have rights on the girls, Caroline." Alaric says. "I'm gonna make sure Josie gets the best treatments. I'll find her a nice camp, and they'll cure her. Just wait and see."

"Get. Out."

The girls don't hear anything after that except the door being slammed. In a second, both girls are downstairs. Caroline is in the middle of the living room, head in her hands. The twins stand by the door for a good minute, waiting for their mother to move. Josie's heart is beating so fast, and it's being so  _ loud _ that she thinks her sister must hear it. The girls are still holding hands. Lizzie's hold is tight, like she's afraid Josie might disappear if she lets go. When Caroline drops her hands, her daughters can only see how drained and scared their mother looks. 

"Mom…" Josie says, her voice shaking. 

Caroline's eyes quickly fall on the twins, and her whole face softens. In the blink of an eye, she's holding them both in her arms. 

"My sweet girls… I am so sorry you had to witness that."

All the brunette can do is to hide her face in her mother's neck once again and sob. Lizzie, on the other hand, can't keep her mouth shut.

"Mom, you're not gonna let him send Josie away, right? Why does it matter so much who she likes? I mean, she's not hurting anyone-"

"There is nothing wrong with gay people." Caroline quickly says.

As gently as she can, the woman forces Josie to pull away from her, and to look her in the eyes. When she's sure she has her daughter's attention, Caroline speaks again.

"There is nothing wrong with  _ you _ ." She leans in and leaves a soft kiss on Josie's forehead. "And no, I am not going to let him send you away." She sighs. "Josie… Sweetie, please go to your room and pack a bag."

Josie's eyes go wide. "W-what? B-but you just said-"

"I'm gonna take you to Klaus' house." Caroline quickly says to comfort her daughter. "I'm gonna make sure Alaric can't send you anywhere, but for that I need time. You'll be safe with Hope's father in New Orleans."

"I'm going with her!" Lizzie quickly says.

"No, you are not." Caroline's tone of voice leaves no room for debate. "Makes this quick, Josie. We're leaving tonight. Lizzie, you're gonna come with us for the ride, so prepare some things too."

It takes an hour for everyone to be ready. The twins take the backseat of the car together as their mother drives. It doesn't take long for Josie to fall asleep on her sister's shoulder, all the crying exhausted her. Caroline calls Klaus when she's sure both her girls are asleep. She tells him everything, and the Mikaelson man immediately agrees to take care of Josie. They stop at a motel for the night, and leave soon after they wake up the day after. 

Josie checks her phone, and sighs.

**3 missed calls from Penny**

**9 missed calls from Hope ❤**

**7 texts from Penny**

**16 texts from Hope ❤**

She doesn't have the courage to open any of them.

They get to New Orleans late that day. They're all relieved when they can step out of the car. As soon as they do, the door of Klaus' home opens, and the person stepping out of the house is unexpected. 

"Josie." 

As soon as the brunette lays eyes on her best friend, the tears come back to her. She drops her bag to the ground and runs to Hope. The Mikaelson girl's embrace is tight and Josie can't help but to feel at home. All the feelings crashing through her are so overwhelming that she starts to sob. 

"I am so sorry, Josie." Hope whispers in the brunette's ear, her voice all choked up. "I-"

Josie shakes her head. "I-I love you. I love you so much, Hope."

The Mikaelson girl is taken aback by her best friend's words, but she decides to not question it. Instead, she tightens her arms around Josie's waist, and tries to get her impossible closer.

"I love you too, Josie."

After a brief conversation with Klaus and Camille, Hope takes Josie into the house and straight to her bedroom. In a matter of only a couple of minutes, the time to change themselves, they are cuddling under the covers of Hope's bed. They lay face to face on the bed, Josie's head resting near Hope's neck and upper chest. Their legs are tangled together and Hope is playing with Josie's brown locks. Silent tears keep streaming down the brunette's cheeks, and Josie wonders if she'll ever be able to stop crying.

Josie manages to tell her best friend what happened after her dad forced her to leave the Mystic Grill. She tells her how Alaric was so cold that he terrified her. Josie has a hard time telling Hope about the awful things her own father said, the things he wanted to put her through. The auburn haired girl says nothing, she listens. Josie knows it must have been hard, she sees how Hope's jaw is clenched and the anger in her ordinary soft blue eyes. 

The Mikaelson girl explains that her father flew her there as soon as he hung up with Caroline. He found a last minute plane ticket that cost a lot of money just so Hope could be there for Josie. When the brunette asks why, the Mikaelson girl has a very simple answer.

"You're family, Josie." Hope leans in and kisses Josie's forehead. "Always and forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!


	6. Almost back to normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took me so long to update!
> 
> I hope the chapter will make up for it!
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos and comments, you guys are amazing!

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - November 28 _

When Josie wakes up, the first thing she notices is that she feels warm and safe. There's a firm arm around her waist that keeps her close to the body that's laying next to her on the bed. The smell that comes with the person makes Josie smile, and she immediately knows who's holding her. Hope's face is buried in the back of the brunette's neck, and when she exhales, it tickles Josie a little. Their legs are tangled together, and somehow it makes Josie feel like they were made to be like this, perfectly intertwined.

She spends a long moment like this. Not moving, not talking, barely breathing. She's so scared to do something that would make Hope move, intentionally or not. She just wants to enjoy this for a little while longer. This peace, this safety. She just wants to be held by the girl she loves for a little while longer. 

After a couple of minutes, Josie resigns herself to move out of Hope's tight embrace. She needs to use the bathroom, and some food would be good too. As softly as she can, the Saltzman girl moves Hope's arm away from her waist. She gets out of bed as slowly as she can, hoping she won't wake her best friend up. Hope lets out a little grunt, but she doesn't open her eyes. Josie watches with a little smile as the auburn haired girl replaces her with a pillow. Hope holds Josie's pillow tight, buries her face in it, and then she stops moving. She's sleeping again. 

She sighs, and looks at Hope for a couple of seconds, then she slips out of the room. Josie walks inside the house like it's a second home, 'cause after all it basically is. She spent a lot of time here growing up. She'd often join Hope on her vacations here, and she loved every second she spent in New Orleans. 

Josie finds the bathroom in no time. After she's done there, she heads downstairs. She can hear noises coming from the kitchen as well as the divine smell of pancakes. She walks to the kitchen and can't help but smile when she sees the mess Camille made in the kitchen. 

"Do you need any help?"

Camille jumps when she hears Josie's voice. She places a hand over her heart and closes her eyes as she lets a little laugh out.

"You scared me, sweetheart."

Josie chuckles. "Sorry, Cami. I didn't mean to."

"Don't worry about it." She waves Josie over. "Now, come here and help. I always forget how to make your vegan pancakes."

Josie's smile gets bigger, and she quickly goes to stand next to Camille. They work together, and Josie patiently goes through the steps with the blonde woman. Camille follows the brunette's instructions, and tries to subtly make her talk, but she doesn't have much success.

"Josie… Are you okay, sweetie?" Camille ends up asking. 

The teenager stops her movements, only to keep working a second or two later. 

"I'm fine."

"Jo-"

The brunette turns and gives an almost pleading look to the woman.

"Please…"

Camille nods, and brings Josie in a side-hug. The brunette forces a smile and leans her head on the woman's shoulder.

"I'm here for you, Josie." Camille says. 

Josie lifts her head from the shoulder it was resting on, and then looks at Camille with a soft smile. The Saltzman girl nods, and with that they keep working on the pancakes. 

It doesn't take them long to finish cooking breakfast. Josie decides to sit on a stool at the counter, and to stay with Camille as the woman cleans the kitchen. She tried to help, but Camille refused. So now, the teenager is silently eating her vegan pancakes as soft music plays from the radio. 

Until someone wraps their arms around her middle and buries their face in her neck. She stiffens only for a second, then Hope's familiar scent catches up to her and her whole body relaxes.

"I can't believe you didn't wake me up." Hope says as she moves away and sits down next to Josie.

The brunette shrugs. "You looked comfortable."

Hope glares at her friend. "I wasn't that comfortable after you left."

Josie's heart stutters. "You noticed I left?"

"The bed went cold."

Josie manages to smile before she avoids Hope's eyes, and tries to hide the blush she  _ knows _ is quickly spreading on her cheeks. 

"It's good to see you smile." Hope says as she reaches for a pancake from the plate in front of Josie.

The brunette doesn't say a word, instead she lets the smile play on her lips for a little while longer. She silently watches as Hope starts eating her pancake and her eyebrows crease, forming a frown.

"Are these your vegan pancakes?" She asks, her mouth still full.

Josie giggles. "Yes."

Hope swallows. "Okay."

It surprised Josie a little when Hope keeps eating. Usually, she'd probably make a comment about the pancakes before reaching for the non-vegan ones. Instead, the auburn haired girl eats the pancake in her plate, and even reaches for another when she's done. 

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - December 07 _

At first Hope doesn't understand why she's waking up. It takes her a moment to register that there's movement in her arms, but as soon as she does, Hope sits up in bed and opens the light of her nightstand lamp. When her eyes go back to the bed, they immediately fall on Josie. The brunette's brow is furrowed, she's tightly clutching a pillow in her arms, and she makes harsh movements. The Mikaelson girl's face saddens as she gently tries to shake her best friend awake. Josie has been having nightmares nearly every night since she got to New Orleans, and Hope does her best to help.

After a few seconds, Josie's eyes snap open and she looks panicked for a moment, but then her eyes fall on Hope and the panic disappears. Without an ounce of hesitation, Josie turns around and snuggles herself against Hope. The auburn haired girl sinks right back into the mattress, holding Josie as tight as her sleepy state allows her. 

At first, Josie is so tense in Hope's arms that the Mikaelson girl almost asks her if she's okay. But then, she starts doing little things she knows can help the brunette and Josie starts to relax. The sleeve of Josie's pyjama shirt has risen up, allowing Hope to freely let her fingers travel up and down the brunette's arm, raising goosebumps on their tracks. Hope hums the melody of Josie's favorite song, and soon Josie quietly joins her. 

It lasts a couple of minutes, no other sound than soft hums filling the room. When Hope is absolutely sure Josie's okay-ish, she stops humming and places a lingering kiss on her best friend's forehead. She can feel Josie lean in every form of touch, and Hope can't help smile. Then, the auburn haired girl breaks a little bit of contact to reach and turn off the lamp, but Josie's voice stops her.

"It's been more than a week." Josie says, her voice a little shaky. 

Hope hums. "Yeah, I know." She takes a deep breath. "It will be okay, Jo."

"No!" Josie abruptly sits up, getting out of Hope's arms. "You keep saying that, but it won't be okay!"

Hope sits too, and she looks at her best friend with some kind of carefulness.

"Jo-"

"Stop." Josie snaps. "I ruined my life to be with a girl I'm not even in love with. I'm so stupid. What if I don't even like girls, Hope? What if my dad hates me for something I'm not? What if-"

"Now, you stop it." Hope says, her tone of voice cutting. "I know you, Josie. I know that you wouldn't have crossed that line with Penelope without knowing-" Hope places her hand on Josie's heart, and the brunette's eyes follow the movement. "-here, that it's true. So what if Penelope's not the one? It doesn't make the fact that you like girls go away, Jo."

"I hate it." Josie says.

The Saltzman girl's voice is so small and quiet that Hope barely catches it. Josie is no longer making eye contact, her eyes are firmly casted down. She's clutching the sheet's of the bed so tightly that her knuckles are white. 

Hope is left frozen in place as Josie's words hit her. She can't believe her best friend could hate anything about herself. To Hope, Josie is the purest human being she knows. The Mikaelson girl silently watches as tears slide down the brunette's cheeks and onto the sheets. Josie's sobs are silent, and it looks as though the younger girl tries to appear as small as possible. Just as Hope is about to reach out for Josie's hands, the brunette talks again, and Hope freezes one more time.

"I hate being like this. I hate those feelings. I hate the fact that my dad hates me for them. I hate to be different." Josie quickly wipes the tears on her cheeks. "Hope… I hate myself."

The words fall out of Josie's mouth easily. She's been thinking about them for days now. She's been feeling them so intensely. 

"Josie…" Hope manages to say before she finally initiates physical contact with her best friend again.

"I just wanna be normal." Josie rushes out as she stands up from the bed, making sure Hope can't touch her. "Maybe I should just go to the camp-"

"Absolutely not." Hope cuts her off, and stands up too. "These camps are damaging, and cruel. What you need is the opposite of that. You need to learn to love yourself, and accept your difference. I am not letting my best friend get brainwashed and abused by some disgusting men."

Hope tries to get closer to Josie, but the brunette keeps putting distance between up, pacing around the room. The way Josie has her arms crossed, and doesn't meet the Mikaelson girl's eyes proves that the brunette's walls are up very high. This kind of closed off behavior is uncommon for Josie, and it only makes Hope worry even more.

"Okay. You know what? You hate yourself right now? Fine. Then, let me love you." Josie stops pacing, and finally meets Hope's eyes. "Josie… If you go to this camp, you'll never be the same again. They'll strip you of a part of you that is so beautiful. They'll break you, and make you believe it's for the best. Don't let them change your heart. I don't want them to take my Josie away."

Now, it's Josie's turn to be frozen in place. She's looking at Hope with tear-filled eyes as she stands not that far from the bed. The Mikaelson girl takes that opportunity to quickly wrap Josie in a tight hug. To Hope's utter relief, the brunette immediately melts into the embrace. The auburn haired girl wastes no time before showering her best friend with comforting words as she holds her as tight as possible, making sure Josie won't run away. 

"I love you so much, Josie."

For some reason, those words only make the brunette cry even harder.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - December 12 _

When Klaus' car stops in front of Josie's house, the brunette's eyes are full of tears. Seeing her home after being forced to run away from it brings up emotions Josie had no idea she'd be feeling. Hope squeezes her hand, and Josie quickly looks at her best friend and gives her the best smile she can manage at the moment. Hope lifts her other hand and gently wipes the tears away.

"Happy tears, right?"

Josie nods. "Yeah."

Hope gives her a soft smile. "Good. Now, come on, everyone must be impatient to have you back."

"What do you mean?" Hope starts getting out of the car after smirking at Josie. "Hope!"

Josie quickly undoes her belt and then bolts out of the car just in time to catch up with her best friend before the auburn haired girl can walk inside the house. 

"Hope!" Josie hisses as she grabs her hand. "Who's inside?"

The Mikaelson girl quickly scans Josie's face with her eyes.

"Why are you so stressed?"

Josie sighs. "Because I'm exhausted! I just wanted to get a hug from my mom and my twin and then go to bed."

Hope bites her lip, suddenly looking guilty.

"I'm sorry. Everyone was just so happy to have you back that we thought you'd like to have a little celebration. I can tell them all to leave. Wait for me here."

Josie groans and runs a hand over her face. 

"Don't. It'd be rude. Can you just make sure it doesn't last for hours?"

Hope quickly nods. "Of course."

They walk inside the house hand in hand. They get their coats and shoes off before going to the living room where everyone's been waiting for them. Josie can't lie about the fact that seeing all her friends and family (her father excluded, of course) fills her with joy. There's a sign hung on the wall with the words "WELCOME HOME" written on it. Balloons are everywhere, and people are a little dressed up. 

Josie looks down at her oversized sweater and sweatpants, and a blush quickly appears on her face. 

"You look beautiful. Stop worrying." Hope says in Josie's ear.

The brunette gives her best friend a disbelieving look, but Hope only answers with a wink, effectively making Josie blush even more. 

People slowly start to notice them, and when the word gets to everyone they quickly start to cheer. That's when Josie gets a good look at exactly  _ who _ is in the room. Her mom, and Lizzie are there, of course. There's also Hope's mom, and her dad is there with Camille too, they joined the crowd soon after Hope and Josie walked in. Then, there's her friends, MG, Maya, Kaleb, Jed and Wendy.

There's a last person. Penelope Park.

Her girlfriend that she's been avoiding since what happened at the Mystic Grill. Josie ignored all of her texts and calls. 

The next minutes are spent in a blur for Josie. She receives hugs, and exchanges some words with the people in the room. Nothing significant is said, most of them only welcome her home. Hope is a comforting presence by her side, and the auburn haired girl never lets go of Josie's hand. Sometimes, the brunette's eyes drift to her raven haired girlfriend, only to receive small smiles from Penelope. 

Then, all of a sudden, the two girls are face to face and time seems to stand still. Just as Josie's about to open her to say something, Penelope gently pulls her in a hug. She places her hands on Josie's lower back, and leaves the embrace loose enough to make sure Josie can get out of it if she wants to. Josie lets herself be held for a couple of seconds before she returns the embrace.

"I'm sorry." She whispers near Penelope's ear. 

The ravenette shakes her head. "Let's not do this right now. I'm just glad to have you back, Jojo."

Josie nods, and then breaks the hug to look at her girlfriend. She wants to say so many things to Penelope, but the older girl is right, now is not the time. So instead of saying anything, Josie smiles.

Caroline interrupts them and takes Josie upstairs to her room. The brunette asks her mother what they're doing, but Caroline refuses to tell her. As soon as the blonde woman opens the door to her daughter's bedroom, Josie's eyes grow big. Her mother placed a really big rainbow flag over her bed.

"I really wanted you to be comfortable now that you're back home." Caroline says as she places her arm around Josie's shoulders. "It's important to me that you know that I love you, and that I support you. I joined PFLAG, and I bought this flag. What do you think?"

Josie's heart is so full of love at this moment that she's not even surprised when a few happy tears escape her. She quickly wipes them away with a chuckle.

"I… think you bought the wrong flag." The brunette teases her mother.

Caroline frowns, clearly not expecting that answer.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… It's not  _ wrong _ . That's the gay flag, and it's used by everyone in the community. But… I'm not gay, mom."

"Oh, yeah, we talked about that in my first PFLAG meeting. They said that for some of you, labels are a big thing. So, bisexual? Lesbian?"

Josie bites her lip. It's a question she's been asking herself a lot in the last few days. She thinks she finally managed to find the word that fits her, the word that feels right. 

"Pansexual." Josie smiles as she finally says the word out loud for the first time.

Caroline's frown gets even worse. 

"Pan-" She interrupts herself and shakes her head. "I'll ask about it at my next PFLAG meeting. Now, let's go back downstairs and celebrate with everyone, okay?"

Josie nods. "That sounds good."

"Oh, and Josie… Your girlfriend is very pretty."

The brunette's blush is immediate. "She is."

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 16/15 - January 17 _

**Emily Webb …………………………. Josette Saltzman**

Josie can't believe her eyes. She's been standing in front of the board where the sheet of roles is for about 5 minutes, reading and reading again her name next to one of the main characters of the play they'll be staging.

It's only when she feels a pair of arms slide around her waist from behind that Josie tears her eyes away from the sheet. She jumps a little at the sudden contact before looking to see who's hugging her. Penelope's smile is soft as she lays her chin on Josie's shoulder.

"Congrats, babe." 

"Thank you. I have a hard time believing it." Josie says.

"I don't. You're very talented. More than you know."

Penelope leaves a quick kiss on Josie's neck, prompting the brunette to awkwardly get out of the embrace. Josie made a lot of progress since she's been back from New Orleans, but PDA is still kinda awkward for her at times. The Saltzman girl's cheeks get a little red as she looks around, making sure no one is actively looking at them.

Penelope sighs. "Sorry, Jojo. I didn't-"

Josie quickly shakes her head. "Don't be sorry. Can we have lunch together in the auditorium?"

The short haired girl looks a little confused. "Sure, but why don't we just have lunch in the cafeteria like we usually do?"

"I want us to be alone. I-I need to talk to you."

Penelope's face falls a little, but she quickly covers it up with a smile.

"Okay, I'll meet you there."

Josie forces a smile. "Thank you."

The two classes Josie has before lunch are torture as all she can think about is what she's about to do. Deep down, she knows she should have done it ages ago, and that it's not fair to drag it out. But there's a part of her that really hates to inflict any kind of pain to people. 

When time for lunch comes around, Josie nervously stops by her locker to grab her lunch. She holds the bag tightly as she repeats the words she needs to say again and again. She sits in the back of the auditorium, her lunch bag on her knees as she waits for Penelope to get there. The place is almost empty, with the exception of the tech team doing some tests on stage. 

It takes a minute or two for Penelope to sit down next to Josie, and as soon as she's there, the brunette starts talking.

"Hi. Thank you for coming to have lunch here with me." Penelope opens her mouth to answer, but Josie is quicker than her. "First, please don't interrupt me until I'm done talking. What I'm about to do is literally killing me and if you start talking I'm afraid I'll just break down, okay?" The ravenette nods to show she understands. "You… have been a perfect girlfriend. You've been lovely, patient and understanding. You made efforts to get along with my best friend even though you hated her, just to make me happy. You showed me so much support, and I could never thank you enough for that."

Josie takes a shaky breath. It's the next part of her speech that's hard. The part she's been dreading and keeps pushing back. The part she wishes she didn't have to say at all. Her grip tightens on her lunch bag, and she's tempted to avoid Penelope's eyes, but that would make her a coward. So, she holds eye contact, even though she hates every second of it, because Penelope's eyes slowly fill with sadness as Josie's next words sink in. 

"I love you, Penelope… But, I'm not in love with you. I've been trying so hard to just let myself fall for you. Like I said, you've been such a wonderful girlfriend, but it's not working. I'm not in love with you, and it's not fair to you if I keep pretending that I am. I am so sorry."

When Josie stops talking and just keeps looking at Penelope, the older girl lets out a bitter chuckle.

"Ouch, Jojo. That's cold."

Josie's eyes go wide and she quickly puts her lunch bag on the floor before taking Penelope's hands in her own. 

"I am so, so sorry, Penny. I never meant to hurt you, and I tried so hard to fall for you. My heart… I screamed at it to just fall for you. It never listened to me."

"How long have you been trying to break up with me?" Penelope asks with a sigh.

Josie looks down, and she slowly takes her hands back before she starts playing with her fingers, her nervous habit kicking in. 

"Just spill it out, Josie!" Penelope ends up snapping, the pain making her impatient.

"A couple of weeks!" The Saltzman girl ends up blurting out.

"A-a couple of weeks?" Penelope takes her head in her hands. 

A couple of seconds of silence passes. Josie helplessly watches as Penelope tries to keep her composure. She wishes she could just say some magic words that would take the ravenette's pain away, but she knows there's nothing she can say to make this better. 

"God, I'm so stupid." Penelope bitterly says. "I knew you had been acting strange for a couple of days… but it dates back to when you left for New Orleans, right? You never answered my calls, nor my texts. You spent all that time with…" She shakes her head. "You just fell right back in love with Hope."

"Penelope-" Josie tries to talk, but the Park girl just keeps talking.

"Actually, you never moved on from her. You've been hopelessly in love with Hope Mikaelson this whole time." 

Penelope grabs her own lunch bag and stands up, turning away from Josie to leave.

"Penny…" Josie practically begs as she stands up too. "Please, I don't wanna lose you."

The short haired girl stops, and her shoulders drop. 

"I'm gonna need time." Penelope says.

She doesn't wait for Josie to say something before she's walking away.

The brunette falls back onto her seat. She leans her elbows on her thighs before burying her head in her hands. She knew breaking up with Penelope would be hard, but she didn't expect it to hurt her so bad. She lets the tears fall as she thinks about how this could have gone better. Penelope acted strong, but Josie knows that her ex-girlfriend is a very talented actress. She can only imagine how hurt Penelope really is. 

After a while, the brunette wipes her tears away and grabs her lunch bag from the floor. She walks out of the auditorium and immediately collides with someone. The person she collides with quickly wraps their hands around her arms to keep her from falling. When Josie finally makes eye contact with them, she's surprised to see it's Hope. The auburn haired girl quickly lifts a hand to gently wipe Josie's tears away with her thumb.

"Penelope told me you were here." Hope gives as an explanation. 

"I broke up with her."

Hope nods. "She mentioned that. Are you okay?"

Josie shrugs. "I shouldn't be so upset… I'm the one who broke up with her."

Hope sighs as she slides her arm around Josie's waist. They start walking and Hope leans her head on the brunette's shoulder.

"I think it really shows just how big your heart is, Jo." Hope starts softly. "Breaking someone's heart is hard. You have the most precious part of a person, and you just give it back. But you… you didn't give it back broken and used. You took care of it and placed it in a beautiful velvet box before giving it back. It's quite impressive, Jo. Penelope's lucky, most people don't have that luck."

Josie sniffles. "You really think so?"

Hope smiles. "I know so. I mean, Penelope came to see me and tell me where to find you. She knows you treated her well."

"I just… never meant to hurt her. I thought I could fall for her."

"I know." Hope quickly says. "I don't know why you didn't fall for her, but it happens, okay? We don't have to love people just because they love us." Hope takes her arm back from around Josie's waist, just to take Josie's hand in her own. "Come on, let's skip school and go for a milkshake."

"My mom's gonna kill me." 

"Just tell her you're going through a break up, it'll be fine."

Josie groans and rolls her eyes. "Fine!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of Posie! Sorry for all the Posie lovers...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!


	7. A simple day at the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii
> 
> I'm really sorry for the long wait. I got really sick last week and couldn't write! I hope this chapter full of fluff will make up for it!

_ Hope & Josie - 17/16 - May 02 _

Josie looks inside the bag she packed for the day one last time. There's a blanket for them to sit on, just in case Hope forgets to bring one. Sunscreen since it's supposed to be sunny today. A jacket in case they stay out late and it gets cold. Hope's gifts (it took Josie forever to choose it this year). Some snacks, and that's it. The brunette decided to not bring her swimsuit even though they're going to spend the day at the beach. The Spring air is still chilly, and she knows the water must be freezing because of it.

Finally, when Josie's sure she didn't forget anything essential, she closes the bag and walks downstairs. The Saltzman girl decides to wait for her best friend in the living room since Hope should be there at any moment now.

Celebrating Hope's birthday has always been fun. It's always been the perfect occasion to have a big party and see the whole Mikaelson family reunited. That's exactly why Josie was a bit shocked when Hope suggested they'd have a quiet day at the beach, just the two of them. The brunette agreed, 'cause she'd never let the opportunity to spend some alone time with Hope pass. But there's still a tiny part of her brain that wonders why Hope would want that. The Mikaelson girl has a big family that she loves with her whole heart. She has lots of friends, and lastly, a boyfriend. 

Why would Hope want to spend her birthday alone with Josie?

Josie sits down next to her twin on the couch. Lizzie's eyes never leave the TV screen, even when she feels someone sitting next to her.

"Ready for your date with Hope?" The blonde asks.

"Lizzie!" The brunette hisses.

Lizzie finally tears her eyes away from the screen as she gives her twin a side-eye look. Josie's cheeks are a deep shade of pink, she's avoiding eye contact and playing with her fingers. None of it escapes Lizzie's watchful eyes, and soon enough she puts the TV on mute, throws the remote away and turns her whole body to look at Josie. The brunette doesn't turn to look at Lizzie, instead she tries to act like she didn't notice her sister's change of behavior.

"So, Hope, uh?" Lizzie asks with a smirk. Josie glares at her sister, but that doesn't seem to bother the blonde. "Since when?"

The brunette sighs loudly. She can act like she's not in love with Hope, but actually  _ saying _ she's not in love with Hope seems totally impossible to her. That'd be the biggest lie she'd ever tell. 

Josie shrugs. "Always, I guess."

Lizzie's eyes go so wide that Josie's afraid they'll pop out of their socket. The brunette squirms under her twin's gaze, the reality of her confession slowly catching up to her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

When she hears the hurt in her sister's voice, Josie finally looks at Lizzie.

"For the same reason I didn't tell you about my sexuality." Josie sighs and bites her lower lip. "It's hard for me. Add to that the fact that I could lose Hope if she knew, and-"

Lizzie rolls her eyes and quickly interrupts Josie. "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't lose Hope because of that."

"Well, it could make things weird, and-"

The doorbell rings, interrupting Josie's incoming rant. The brunette quickly gets on her feet, ready to make her way to the door since she's almost sure Hope is standing on the other side. Before she can get out of the living room, Lizzie calls her name.

"Josette! Don't you dare think that we're done talking about this." The blonde twin warns.

Josie doesn't turn around, but she does roll her eyes at her sister's dramatics.

_ Of course she's not gonna drop it so easily. _ Josie thinks as she gets to her front door. 

The Saltzman girl opens the door, and she can't fight the smile that stretches her lips when she sees Hope. The auburn haired girl is wearing a very simple pair of blue jeans, and her top is hidden under a Timberwolves hoodie. Hope's hair is freely falling on her shoulders, perfectly framing her face. 

Instead of greeting Josie, Hope steps closer and quickly pulls her in a tight hug. The brunette's hands find themselves on the older girl's lower back, as Josie immediately melts into the hug.

"Happy birthday, Hope." The Saltzman girl manages to see even though she's a bit overwhelmed by her best friend.

The Mikaelson girl seems to try and bury her face even deeper in Josie's neck, making the brunette's knees weak in the process. 

"Thank you, Jo."

The way Hope's lips brush Josie's skin as she's speaking makes goosebumps appear on the brunette's body, so she's kinda relieved when Hope breaks the hug after that. The Mikaelson girl has an easy smile on when Josie finally gets to see her face, a smile that the brunette immediately reciprocates.

"Are you ready?" Hope asks.

"Yeah." Josie looks over her shoulder. "Mom! I'm leaving now."

"Have a good day, sweetie! Call if you need anything." Caroline calls out from the kitchen. 

"I will! I love you"

As soon as Caroline says "I love you too", Josie and Hope are out of the door and walking to Hope's car. The auburn haired girl takes her best friend's bag and insists to put it in the trunk herself. Then, they both get inside the car, and Josie expects Hope to just start the engine and drive them to the beach, but she doesn't. The older girl doesn't even buckle up her seatbelt. Josie looks at her friend for a while, waiting for her to just say something. The quiet and closed off side of Hope always had a weird effect on Josie. It makes her worried.

"Hope…" Josie softly calls out.

The brunette watches as the auburn haired girl seems to be shaken out of her thoughts. She turns her head to look at Josie and smiles, but it looks forced. Josie reaches out and takes one of Hope's hands softly, her best friend's blue eyes following the movement. They don't move for a couple of seconds after that, but then Josie hears Hope take a deep breath before she slowly intertwines their fingers together. Josie's eyes leave their hands to look at Hope's face, and when their eyes make contact, the brunette feels like she can't breathe. She doesn't know what's happening, or what will happen. All she knows is that she's still hopelessly in love with Hope Mikaelson. 

"Tell me something you never said out loud before."

The words are spoken quietly and slowly. It takes Josie a little while to process them

_ I'm in love with you. _ That's the first thing that comes to her mind. The most obvious thing to her. 

"I believed in Santa until I was like 11." She blurts out instead. "I acted like I didn't, but… there was always that part of me that still believed."

Hope stays serious for a whole second before she starts laughing. At first, Josie tries to act annoyed, but it's no use, she joins Hope's laughter about 10 seconds after it started. It takes a minute or so before the Mikaelson girl starts to calm down. She places her forehead against the steering wheel as she stops laughing. When it's finally done, she slightly turns her head to look at Josie.

"I was expecting something serious… Something deep."

"I know." Josie sighs, but she doesn't say more.

"I broke up with Ethan."

Josie's heart skips a beat. 

"You did?" Hope nods. "Why?"

"He told me he loved me. I couldn't say it back, so I told him it was over."

"Hope, I'm sorry."

Hope chuckles and leans back into her seat. She reaches for her seatbelt and buckles it up. 

"Don't be, because I'm not. It was fun while it lasted, but now I don't want to have fun." She looks back at Josie with a look the brunette doesn't recognize. "I wanna fall in love this time. Is that what you want too, Jo?"

Josie feels frozen in place. The intensity in Hope's eyes is making her feel on fire, and she's literally refraining herself from leaning over and claiming her best friend's lips. Josie wonders for a brief second how Hope would react. 

_ Would she be mad? Would she hate me? Would she kiss me back? _

Josie tears her eyes away from Hope before doing something she might regret. She looks ahead of herself as she buckles her own seatbelt.

"Isn't it what everyone wants?" She ends up saying, her eyes not going back to Hope yet. 

"Not necessarily." Hope quickly says back. "And I don't care about everyone, I wanna know what  _ you _ want."

Josie sighs and crosses her arms, suddenly feeling a little defensive towards her feelings.

"Yes, of course I wanna fall in love. That's why I broke up with Penelope." The Saltzman girl takes a deep breath and finally looks back at her best friend. "Are we going to the beach or are we gonna talk in your car during the whole afternoon?"

Hope's signature Mikaelson smirk slowly appears. She turns the engine on.

"Did I annoy you?" Hope asks, still waiting before getting on the road.

"No. I just don't understand why you're asking these questions, and why you're asking them now."

Hope's smirk doesn't disappear, but she shakes her head before she starts driving. Josie's eyes stay glued to Hope's face. There's a deep confused frown on the brunette's face as she wonders what's going on with her best friend.

"I was just curious." Hope says after a long pause. 

"Are you sure?"

The Mikaelson girl chances a quick glance at Josie. 

"Yeah." Her voice is shaky, so she clears her throat before speaking again. "Wanna put some music on?"

Josie wants to say more, she wants to know more, but she knows it's no use to push Hope. Her best friend has a tendency to close herself up whenever she's being pushed to talk. So, instead of saying anything, Josie puts music on. The brunette chooses their favorite song, hoping it will get rid of the tension that settled inside the car. As soon as it starts, a genuine smile appears on Hope's face, immediately putting one on Josie's too. The Saltzman girl looks ahead, and together they start singing over the song. It's perfectly them, and it feels good. Josie tries to think of the last time they've been so freely themselves, but she doesn't come up with an answer. Quickly, she decides it's not important. Nothing is more important than the moment they're sharing right now. 

As soon as they get to the beach, both girls quickly get out of the car. Hope goes to the trunk and opens it to get their stuff out. It takes a couple of seconds for Josie to join her, but when she does it's only to be quickly pushed back. 

"You can't look inside! I prepared a surprise for you, but it's for later!"

Josie chuckles. "You prepared a surprise for  _ me _ ? Hope, it's  _ your _ birthday!"

Hope smirks and keeps pushing Josie further away. The brunette can't stop the giggles at her best friend's silly behavior. 

"And? This day can be special for the both of us even though it's my birthday."

Josie rolls her eyes. "I guess."

The brunette stops fighting her friend, making Hope's smirk turn into a satisfied smile. The auburn haired girl quickly gets their bags and lunch out of the trunk. She hands Josie her bag, but doesn't let the brunette help her with the two other bags and the cooler.

Like Josie thought, the air is chilly, and there's not many people on the beach. She still wonders why Hope insisted to come here on her birthday. She doesn't question her though, it would probably be useless. Together, they find a nice place to lay the beach blanket Hope brought for them. The Mikaelson girl gets a little offended when Josie mentions she brought one too, but Josie quickly makes her smile again by making goofy faces. 

They settle on the blanket, and Hope lets out a loud sigh, immediately getting Josie's whole attention.

"Okay, so here's the thing : I don't have a plan for today. I really just wanted to spend it with you." She says with a sheepish smile. 

Josie smiles too, and places some of her hair behind her ear, suddenly a little shy under her best friend's intense gaze. She knows she's probably blushing, but that's nothing new. After she broke up with Penelope, Josie's feelings for Hope only seemed to grow. She doesn't even try to fight them anymore. It's no use. She can't do anything about them anymore. 

"Do you remember we used to come here with our moms when we were kids?" Hope asks softly. She brings her knees to her chest and hugs them, leaning her right cheek on them so she's still looking at Josie. "We'd collect seashells for hours on this beach. You'd make me hold your hand the whole time because you were scared of the water."

Josie's a little surprised with what Hope is saying. She remembers those days clearly, just like she remembers how happy and carefree she was back then. How oblivious she was to her own feelings. 

"I miss that." Hope quietly says, then she takes a deep breath. "I miss you…"

"Me?" Josie can't help but ask. "Hope… I never left. I'm right here."

The auburn haired girl lifts her head and chuckles. 

"You never left, but you changed. Just like I did. You dated Penelope, I dated Ethan. I miss the 'me' I was when it was me and you against the world. I… I miss the little girl that'd hold on to me when she was scared, and give me the biggest smile when I'd chase her monsters away." 

"Hope… What's going on?" Josie says, now more confused than ever.

"I'm scared, okay?" Hope ends up saying, finally looking at the brunette. "I'm scared because next year I'll be a senior, and then I'll go to college. We'll keep changing, and that's so fucking scary. What will happen to us, Jo?"

"What do you mean? Do you really think you're getting rid of me that easily?" Josie's frown disappears and slowly a smile appears on her face. "No way, Mikaelson, you're stuck with me forever."

It takes a good moment, but Hope finally smiles back. Only then, does Josie stand up and holds out her hands for the auburn haired girl to take. Hope looks at the offered hand for a second, then she looks back at Josie with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on, we're going to collect seashells. If you're lucky, I'll let you hold my hand the whole time."

It takes no time before Hope accepts Josie's hand to get on her feet. Their hands stay glued together for the whole afternoon after that. They spend hours walking on the beach to find the most beautiful seashells. Sometimes they forget about them though, when they are too deep into a conversation, or when the silence is too peaceful to be broken. Neither of them pay attention to the time, so they're both a little surprised to see they spent almost three hours on the beach already when they go back to their blanket. 

Josie realises that Hope suddenly seems nervous. The Mikaelson girl insists that they should eat now because after that they need to leave or they might miss part of her surprise. They eat quickly, and it annoys Josie a little, but she says nothing about it. As soon as they're done, Hope gathers everything and they make their way back to the car. The drive to Hope's surprise takes them a good 30 minutes, and when they get there, Josie's mouth drops. They're at the top of a hill, where a parking is. Several cars are parked there with couples and families already outside and waiting to watch the sunset over the town. 

"People come here to watch the sunset." Hope says with a smile. "But tonight is special. There should be a meteor shower, and I thought this place would be perfect for the occasion."

"Hope, it's… "  _ Romantic… _ Josie thinks. "Beautiful."

Hope bites her lip, barely containing her smile. "I knew you'd like it. Come on, we can put our blanket on the grass to look at the sky."

Josie can't stop the fond smile that appears on her face after that. She quickly follows Hope outside, and waits as the auburn haired girl gets something from the trunk of the car. She rolls her eyes when she sees the glowing sticks in Hope's hands, another nod to their childhood. Together they set the blanket on the grass next to a friendly looking couple. They put glowing sticks around their necks and their wrists, and Josie's a little relieved to see they are not the only ones wearing them. They sit down, and Hope wastes no time to link their hands again. Josie allows it, she'd be a fool to pull away. She'll take whatever Hope is willing to give her. 

"So… " Hope says, just loud enough for Josie to hear her. "Did you hear anything about your father?"

Josie forces a smile and shrugs. "The restraining order is still in place. Mom mentioned he tried to have it cancelled, but it didn't work."

Hope nods. "What do you think about it?"

Josie frowns. "I… think it's a good thing. This way he can't have me sent to a camp. Lizzie misses him though, she doesn't say so, but I know she does."

"What about you?"

"I don't know." Josie sighs. "I hate how he treated me. I hate that he hates who I am. But I just can't hate him, he's my father, you know?"

Hope has a soft smile on her lips as she nods. 

"No one expects you to hate him, Jo. I just… I just hope you won't let him come back into your life before he makes some big changes in his."

"I won't"

Josie sees the soft colors of the sky from the corner of her eyes, and she can't help but tear her gaze away from Hope. The shades of orange and pink that took over the sky as the sun slowly sets takes the brunette's breath away. Her attention is so focused on it that she barely feels it when Hope lays her head on her shoulder. It's only when the sun is all gone that she registers the fact that their sides are pressed together. They must have been cuddling like this for a while, because when Hope moves away, the cold air hits Josie like a ton of bricks. She quickly reaches inside her bag to get her jacket, thankful that she brought it with her. As she puts it on, Josie accidently hits the guy sitting next to her.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

The guy chuckles. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm really sorry."

His girlfriend shows her face over his shoulder. "It's alright! He's a tough one. I'm Lexie and this is Diego."

Josie smiles at Lexie's friendly attitude. "I'm Josie, and this…" She points at her best friend. "Is Hope."

"You guys make a really adorable couple. Right, Diego?" The boy nods. "The way you cuddled was so cute, and you look so in lo-"

"We're not a couple." Josie quickly blurts out. "We're just… best friends."

"Yeah…" Hope says with a sigh.

Lexie grimaces. "Sorry, my bad."

"It's fine." Hope says with a forced smile.

"Oh, look! The meteor shower is starting." Diego quickly says.

Josie and him share a smile, both knowing he got rid of a very awkward situation. The brunette turns her attention to the sky, and sure enough shooting stars are falling down like rain. 

After a couple of seconds, Josie can feel Hope's eyes on her, so she looks back at her friend. Their eyes lock together for a while, and then Hope's blue eyes flicker down to their separated hands. They had to let go when Josie put her jacket on, and now for some reason the Mikaelson girl seems to be silently asking permission to take it back. The brunette wonders if she's hesitating because of what Diego and Lexie said. Josie gently lays her hand on Hope's, and the auburn haired girl wastes no time to turn her hand and intertwine their fingers. Both girls feel like they can breathe again when their hands are finally linked.

"Are you gonna make a wish, Jo?" Hope quietly asks.

"Does wishing on a shooting star applies when there's a meteor shower?" 

The Mikaelson girl shrugs. "I don't see why it wouldn't." 

Josie nods. "Then, I'll make one."

Silence surrounds them for a minute. Josie thinks about her wish as the shooting stars keep showing up in the sky. Hope spends more time looking at the brunette than she does looking at the sky. After a while, curiosity gets the best of her.

"What did you wish for?" She whispers.

Josie turns her head to look at Hope. There's a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"I can't tell you, or it will never come true."

Hope rolls her eyes, but she doesn't argue. After all, she wants all of Josie's wishes to come true.

When the meteor shower ends, the girls gather their things, say goodbye to Diego and Lexie, and then go back to Hope's car. They don't talk on the ride back, they just hold hands as soft music plays. It's so peaceful, and so them, that Josie wishes this moment would never end. She wishes she could freeze time, or at least frame this moment. 

Unfortunately, the car ends up in Josie's driveway and the day comes to an end. Neither of them speaks for a while, or even move. Then, Hope lets out a loud sigh.

"What about I take you home? I really don't wanna say goodbye yet. We didn't have a sleepover since-" Hope stops herself and looks down.

"Since New Orleans." Josie finishes for her. "Yeah, I know."

"I missed you so much when we came back." Hope says, and it sounds like a confession. "I got used to holding you and to be held by you so quickly… I couldn't fall asleep the first few nights."

"Hope, I… I felt it too. I tried hugging a pillow, but it was not the same." Josie sighs. "Let me text my mom to ask if I can go."

The auburn haired girl nods, and watches as the brunette quickly gets her phone from her jeans pocket. Josie does as she said, and she's relieved when her mother's answer is immediate. The Saltzman girl smiles as she reads Caroline's words, then she quickly looks back at Hope.

"I can sleep at your house."

Hope's smile is blinding. "Perfect."

The ride to Hayley and Hope's house takes about 10 minutes. Josie is glad when Hope stops the car in the driveway, the exhaustion of the day quickly catching up to her. They get their bags and the cooler from the trunk before going inside the house. 

"I'll put the cooler back in the garage, wait for me here." Hope says before disappearing. 

Josie sighs and takes her shoes off. Just as Hope walks back into the house, Hayley appears from the living room.

"Oh, Josie! Hi, sweetie."

"Hi, Hayley." Josie says with a smile. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too!" Hayley places an arm over Hope's shoulders and leaves a kiss on her temple. "Hi, little wolf."

"Hi, mom." Hope says as she rolls her eyes at the nickname. "Josie's gonna sleepover, okay?"

"Of course." Hayley says with a smile. "Do you want to watch a movie in the living room?"

"I think we'll just head to bed, it's been a long day. Right, Jo?"

Josie always lets a sigh of relief out, but instead she just nods. They say goodnight to Hope's mom before making their way upstairs to the older girl's bedroom. Hope quickly gets some PJs and throws them at Josie before getting some for herself too. Hope goes to the bathroom to change, leaving the room to Josie. After about 2 minutes, there's a soft knock on the door, and since Josie's already changed, she allows Hope to come in. They get under the covers of the Mikaelson girl's bed quickly. Without speaking about it, they quickly settle in a spooning position, with Hope being the little spoon. Josie allows herself to bury her face in the back of her best friend's neck, closing her eyes and subtly breathing her in. 

"My birthday really couldn't have been better, Jo. Thank you."

Josie's eyes snap open. "I forgot to give you your gift!"

She quickly untangles herself from Hope, and runs across the room to where she left her bag earlier when they came in. It takes her a couple of seconds to find the small box, but when she does, Josie sprints right back to the bed. Hope is waiting for her, but now she's sitting. Josie hands her the box with a blinding smile. 

"You didn't have to." The auburn haired girl says.

Josie rolls her eyes. "Just open it."

Hope shakes her head with a chuckle before she opens the little box. Inside, she finds a very pretty silver affirmation bracelet. Engraved on it is a date, a date Hope immediately recognizes. The sight brings tears to her eyes.

Josie nervously watches her best friend's reaction. Hoping she didn't do too much. 

"It's the date of the first time we met." Josie softly says.

"I know." Hope says, a light chuckle leaving her lips. "I love it so much, Jo."

Hope pulls Josie in a bone crushing hug, a hug the brunette wastes no time to reciprocate. They stay that way for a while, just holding each other and the brunette enjoys every second she gets to hold the girl she loves. Then, Hope yawns, making Josie giggle. They silently agree to go back to their earlier position. As soon as Josie is cuddling her best friend again, she sighs. 

_ No one's ever gonna make me feel like she does.  _

"I love you, Josie Saltzman." Hope says, her voice full of fondness.

Josie can't help but think that these words really shouldn't break her heart, and yet…

"I love you too, Hope Mikaelson."

_ More than you know. _ She mentally adds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo? How was it ?


	8. Milkshakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Sorry for the long wait!

_ Hope & Josie - 17/16 - June _

"Your performance was flawless, Jojo."

The words are said with a certain softness, but also laced with uncertainty. The brunette quickly turns around in her seat, and when her eyes fall on her ex-girlfriend, Josie has to take a shaky breath in. Penelope is still in costume, and she's looking at the Saltzman girl with a shy and vulnerable smile. The ex-girlfriends didn't have a real conversation since their break up, and Josie has no idea how to behave. Penelope takes a seat next to her, letting a light chuckle out when her eyes meet Josie's brown ones again.

"People usually say 'thank you' when they receive a compliment, you know?"

Josie's eyes grow wider. "Yeah! I mean, thank you."

Penelope chuckles and looks down for a moment. When she looks back up, she's still smiling.

"How have you been, Jojo?"

"I-I've been good. You?"

The short haired girl shrugs. "I'm better now."

Josie quickly looks down, a fresh wave of guilt hitting her. She knew she was in love with Hope during her relationship with Penelope. She knows how bad it is. She knows how much she hurt the ravenette, and it's been killing her. Josie cares about Penelope, and she considers her a good friend. Hurting someone like that is literally the worst thing for the Saltzman girl.

"Penny, I'm really sorry." 

There's a couple of seconds of silence, and then one of Penelope's hands cover both of Josie's. The brunette looks up, and when she sees the soft smile on her ex-girlfriend's lips, Josie feels a little better.

"I'm good, Josie. Let's be friends now, okay?" The brunette eagerly nods. "Good. Now, tell me… How is it going with-"

"Hope!" Josie quickly interrupts Penelope, knowing full well what she was gonna ask and seeing her best friend approaching them.

The short haired girl follows Josie's line of sight, and it doesn't take her long to see the Mikaelson girl heading their way. The look Josie sends to her best friend, and the way her cheeks turn light pink make Penelope understand that her ex hasn't said anything to Hope yet. 

As soon as the Mikaelson girl gets close to them, Josie gets up from her seat. The two best friends hug for a long moment, maybe even longer than people would deem appropriate. It leaves time for Penelope to see the loving smile on Hope's lips and the bouquet of flowers in her hands. The short haired girl is now smiling too, knowing Josie's in good hands. When Josie and Hope break their hug, Penelope stands up and it's only then that the auburn haired girl seems to notice her.

"Oh… Am I interrupting something?" Hope asks as she looks at Penelope and then back at Josie. "I can leave you-"

"It's okay." The raven haired girl quickly says. "I need to go get changed, so I was leaving." 

Josie opens her mouth like she wants to say something, and Penelope waits to know what the younger girl could have to say. Nothing comes out, and the brunette ends up closing her mouth and looking down. 

"I'll see you around, Jojo."

"I, uh, yeah." Josie says, her voice so quiet Penelope almost misses it.

The Saltzman girl watches her ex-girlfriend disappear, and silently hopes that they'll be good for real now. It's only when Hope lightly tugs on her sleeve that Josie looks back at her best friend. Hope is looking at her with what Josie would call "stars" in her eyes, and it makes her feel giddy. Things have been so good between them since Hope's birthday. They're closer than they've ever been. 

"Hey, Jo…" Hope starts with a tense smile. "I didn't mess things up with Penelope, right?"

Josie shakes her head. "We're good, back to being friends actually."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Hope's smile seems more genuine now. "Good. So, I can now tell you that you were shining on that stage. My best friend is gonna be a star." 

Josie rolls her eyes and giggles when Hope wiggles her eyebrows and offers the flowers she has in her hands to Josie.

"Thank you, Hope." 

The brunette takes the flowers and automatically brings them up to her nose. They smell as good as she imagined they would, and it makes a soft smile appear on her face. Hope looks at her longingly, and only stops staring when their eyes make contact. Josie's a little confused when she sees the auburn haired girl look away quickly as a blush covers her cheeks.

Hope clears her throat. "Can I take you out to celebrate this?"

The Mikaelson girl's words make Josie's heart jump in her chest. Her head knows Hope doesn't mean it like a date, but her heart doesn't seem to take it that way. So, now both girls are blushing and avoiding each other's eyes.

"Yeah, that'd be nice. I'll just… change."

Hope nods. "I'll wait for you outside with everyone."

"Okay." 

They share one last smile before Hope slips out of the tiny changing room. It's only then that Josie feels like she can breathe again. She didn't even realise it had gotten so hard to breathe when Hope walked in. Josie turns around, and leans her hands on the desk. She takes several deep breaths. When she feels steady enough, she slowly looks up at herself through the mirror. 

"You can do this, Josie." She tells herself. "You've been doing it for more than 10 years now." She quickly nods. "You can do this."

It takes Josie a couple of minutes to get out of her costume and put her normal clothes on. She also undoes her hair and let it fall onto her shoulders. When she's satisfied with how she looks, Josie quickly makes her way out of the room to find her family, Hope and Hayley. They spend a good ten minutes together, her mother and sister are telling Josie how proud of her they are. Hayley hugs her tight, and tells her she shined on stage, just like Hope did a little earlier. 

Then, Hope and Josie say their goodbyes before walking together to the Mystic Grill. They walk so close to each other that their shoulders bump together the whole way, but neither of them moves away. The touches are light, and it makes them glance at each other and giggle, just like when they were kids. Josie's a little surprised when Hope takes her hand in hers at some point during their walk. Hand holding is more and more frequent between them, and the brunette absolutely loves it. Holding Hope's hand feels right, like it was meant to be. They get to the Mystic Grill after a ten minutes walk. The girls settle face to face in a booth.

"I really think your place is on a stage, Josie." Hope says softly.

The brunette shrugs. "I don't know. I like it, but it makes me so nervous."

"You'll get over it with time."

Josie bites her lip. "I think I'd prefer to write actually."

Hope smiles, but she's also frowning in confusion.

"Writing?"

"Yeah. I've been writing a journal recently, and it makes me happy."

The frown disappears from Hope's face, and now she's only smiling at the Saltzman girl.

"Tell me more."

So, Josie does. She tells Hope about the things she writes about (leaving out her undying love for the Mikaelson girl, of course). Hope listens to every single bit of information with unwavering attention. Josie always feels special when the auburn haired girl does that. It seems like she's the only person that matters to Hope, and it makes Josie's heart race. 

At one point, a server comes to take their orders. Josie takes a strawberry milkshake, and Hope has her usual peanut butter blast with whipped cream at the bottom. As the Mikaelson girl gives her order, Josie can't help but stare at her with a loving smile. There's something so endearing about Hope's very specific order. The girls keep talking until their server comes back with their milkshakes, and then Hope quickly gets up and sits back down right next to Josie.

The brunette giggles. "Hey, you."

Hope gives her a charming smile. "Hi."

Josie leans one of her elbows on the table and then lays her cheek on her hand, looking at Hope with an amused smile. 

"What brings you here?"

"I thought we could share our milkshakes, and it would be easier if I'm closer."

Josie rolls her eyes. "You know I hate peanut butter flavored stuff. You just wanna taste my milkshake."

Hope chuckles. "Can I? Pretty please!"

Josie slowly pushes her milkshake closer to Hope as an answer. The auburn haired girl's eyes light up, and she quickly gets a taste of the milkshake.

"It's very good."

"Awesome, can I have it back?"

Hope narrows her eyes playfully. "Can you?"

Josie quickly tries to reach out for it, but Hope is quicker than her and pushes the milkshake out of her reach. The brunette looks back at her best friend's face, and that's when she realises just how close their faces are. Hope is also looking at her, so their eyes lock together. Stormy ocean eyes meet soft chocolate ones, and time seems to stand still. Josie doesn't know who's leaning in, but she notices the distance between their faces gets smaller and smaller. A wave of panic hits the brunette, and she tries to move away, but by doing so, she knocks Hope's milkshake down. The cold liquid quickly drips on the table and then on Hope's lap. The auburn haired girl stands up abruptly, taken aback by the sudden events. 

"Hope! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

The Mikaelson girl quickly stops her. 

"It's okay, Josie. It was an accident." She sighs. "I'll just go clean up in the restroom. Wait for me here, okay?"

The brunette helplessly watches as her best friend walks away and then disappears in the restroom. Josie buries her face in her hands, embarrassment taking over her. She focuses herself on not crying. She breathes in, and breathes out. The Saltzman girl couldn't say how many times she repeats the action, but she only stops when a hand starts rubbing small soothing circles on her back. Josie slowly lets her hands slip away from her face and turns to look at Hope. The older girl doesn't say anything, she just keeps rubbing Josie's back and gives her a soft smile.

"I'm really sorry." Josie says, her voice so small it's barely audible.

"I know, and it's okay." Hope softly says. "Let's go back home now, though. I'm sticky." 

The last words are said with a playful smile, and it helps to ease Josie's tension. She nods, let's Hope take her hand and guide her out of the Mystic Grill. They walk all the way to Josie's house hand in hand. Hope tries to make Josie talk, but she knows how the brunette gets when she feels like she messed up. So, the rest of the walk is mainly silent. When they stop in front of Josie's house, Hope waits for her friend to say something. 

"I ruined everything." Josie finally blurts out.

It takes a couple of seconds before Hope replies. She thinks her answer over, not wanting to do anything that could cause Josie to close off.

"What do you think you ruined?" She asks with a smile.

Josie gives Hope a confused look.

"We were having fun, and then I spilled your milkshake all over you!"

Hope's smile falters only for a second. "Stop worrying about that. It was only a milkshake. We had fun anyway."

"Yeah, but we… We were-" Josie cuts herself off. "You know what? Forget it. Goodnight, Hope." 

Josie quickly turns around to walk to her front door, but Hope catches her wrist before she gets too far. The brunette turns around, looking once more into the Mikaelson girl's blue eyes. 

"We were what, Josie?"

The brunette bites her lip and shakes her head. She's not willing to let her feelings be known after what happened tonight. It would only be a disaster. 

"Nothing." Josie swallows the lump in her throat. "I should go in now."

Hope clenches her jaw but forces a smile.

"Goodnight, Josie. You were perfect on that stage tonight."

The brunette's cheeks take a soft pink color. "Thank you."

Hope stays right where she is until Josie is safely inside her house. She even stares at the closed door for a little while longer, mourning what almost happened and what was left unsaid tonight. As she finally walks away, Hope gets her phone out and quickly calls Maya. The phone rings twice before the girl answers.

"Tell me you're calling to let me know you scored yourself a girlfriend." 

Hope sighs and shakes her head. "No."

"You sound sad." Maya pauses. "What happened? Did she… reject you?"

"No, she didn't." Hope takes a deep breath. "I was gonna tell her about my feelings tonight. Then, we started goofing around and she was so close to me. I tried kissing her, she panicked and spilled my milkshake all over me. It's pretty clear she doesn't like me like that."

"You didn't even ask her! Hope, listen to me. Gay panic is a thing."

The Mikaelson girl rolls her eyes. "I know that."

"Josie was in the closet for very obvious reasons not too long ago. Don't you think it would make sense for her to panic a little when a girl makes a move on her?"

Hope stops walking, Maya's words are planting doubts inside her head. She stays silent as she tries to think it over. It doesn't take her long to start walking around, her decision is made.

"I'm not risking it. Our friendship is too important to be jeopardized by that kind of thing." Hope pauses, her feelings almost choking her. "I can't lose her, Maya."

Maya sighs on the other end of the line, but when she speaks, her voice is softer than it was before.

"I get that. So, what are you gonna do now?"

"I'm gonna enjoy the last year I get with her. No boys, no girls… just Josie and I. And then, when I'll be away from here and from her, I'll move on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Let me know your thoughts!


	9. Lanterns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait... 
> 
> Also, I'm sorry if there's any mistakes. It's been hard to write these last few weeks and some mistakes might have appeared. 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this.

_ Hope & Josie - 17/16 - October _

Josie feels way heavier than she actually is when Hope helps her sit down on her bed. When the world started spinning around the brunette, Hope declared it was time for them to go home. The only thing is, Josie couldn't exactly go home in that state. Disappointing Caroline is the last thing Josie would wanna do. It didn't take a lot of convincing to get Hope to take her to her home instead. 

Now, Hope is running downstairs to get her a glass of water. Josie's grateful for that since her mouth feels kinda dry. The Saltzman girl looks around Hope's room, a place she's been in so many times. She loves Hope's bedroom. It has soft colors, and all the time Hope spends painting here makes the room have a faint paint smell. Nothing aggressive, but it's a smell that's tied to Hope. A smell Josie loves beyond words.

When the Mikaelson girl enters her bedroom again, she can't help but smile fondly at the sight of her best friend. Josie's natural pouty lips are even more pouty than they usually are, her cheeks are faintly pink and she looks a little lost. That is until she sees Hope. Then, Josie's eyes seem to light up. The auburn haired girl makes her way to the bed and sits down next to the brunette. She offers the glass of water to Josie, and watches as she drinks all of it.

"How do you feel?" Hope softly asks.

Josie shrugs. "Dizzy and sleepy."

The Mikaelson girl hums. "Do you feel nauseous?"

The brunette cocks her head to the side, as if thinking about Hope's question. The older watches as Josie places a hand over her stomach for a moment.

"I don't think so." Josie ends up saying.

Hope chuckles and shakes her head, her eyes no longer meeting Josie's brown ones. It gives the brunette time to look at the Mikaelson girl. Hope let her hair loose for the party, but as soon as they got home, she tied them up. The only trace of makeup on her best friend's face is the red lipstick she put on when they got ready together. It's almost gone now, but Josie can still tell it was there. 

"You're so damn beautiful."

Hope quickly looks up, her eyes immediately locking with Josie's. They hold eye contact for a while, and Hope can't help but wonder if they would do this without the alcohol in both of their bodies. The Mikaelson girl isn't drunk, but she did have a drink or two. Her brain is a little foggy, and Josie's scent is intoxicating. 

The Saltzman girl has only one thing in my mind at that moment, and it's to lean in and kiss her best friend. She refuses to do so though. She needs to control this need. So, Josie breaks eye contact. She quickly hands Hope the empty glass, and as soon as her hands are free, she crawls up the bed. Josie gets under the sheets and sighs when her head hits the pillow. It doesn't take a lot of time before she's joined by Hope. The auburn haired girl's position mirrors Josie's, making them holding each other's gaze again. 

"You're beautiful too, Josie." Hope says in a whisper. "So beautiful…"

Josie's eyes fill with tears, and before Hope can do anything, the brunette makes herself as small as possible and snuggles into her best friend. Josie places her face in the space just above Hope's collarbone, and her arms go around the older girl's waist. The Mikaelson girl's hold comes quickly, and it's so tight that it takes Josie by surprise. They stay still for a long moment. After a while, Hope starts running her hand up and down Josie's back, making the younger girl shiver in her arms. The Mikaelson girl notices, but she doesn't say anything about it, afraid to break the intimacy they're sharing. 

When Josie feels herself falling asleep, she lets one last thing get out of her mouth.

"I wish we could stay like this forever." 

Hope doesn't answer right away. She waits a little, and when she finally says something, it's to a sleeping Josie.

"Yeah, me too." 

Her whisper hangs in the air for a second or two before she leans in and leaves a soft, lingering kiss on the brunette's forehead. 

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 17/16 - December  _

Josie sighs loudly as she sits down next to Hope at their usual cafeteria table. Her loud sigh and the sound of her tray abruptly hitting the table gathers the attention of all of their friends.

"Why do I have class at the other end of the school everytime there's chocolate pudding on the menu?" The brunette complains. "There's never any left when I get here."

Hope watches her best friend pout with a fond smile. She reaches for the chocolate pudding on her own plate, and with her other hand, she reaches for the apple on Josie's tray. She quickly switches them. The brunette's eyes grow wide and shiny. She looks at Hope as she bites her lip, as if asking if the auburn haired girl is sure of her choice. Hope playfully rolls her eyes, but she still nods. Josie squeals in excitement and claps her hand.

"Thank you, Hope! You're the best." Josie says before quickly leaning in and kissing her best friend's cheek. 

Josie doesn't notice the blush on Hope's cheeks and the way she starts getting flustered, because the brunette is too focused on eating her food, but their friends do. Everyone around the table glance at each other, none of them ready to ask the question they all have on their minds. That is until Jed speaks up.

"You know what? There's money on the line, so I'm gonna ask the damn question." He says to everyone before looking at Hope and Josie. "Are you guys finally dating?"

Josie immediately chokes on the food she was chewing. Hope's eyes go comically wide and her mouth drops in shock before she realises her best friend is having troubles. The auburn haired girl quickly gets out of her shocked state to rub her best friend back and make sure Josie's okay. It takes about a minute for Josie to be able to breathe properly again, but as soon she can, the brunette glares at Jed.

"Hope and I are only friends." Josie looks at every one of their friends. "You all know that."

"Yeah, we're friends." Hope says through gritted-teeth, glaring at Maya in the process. "I can't believe you bet money on this."

Kaleb rolls his eyes. "Come on, you can't blame us. You act like a couple all the time."

"W-what? That's not true! We act like best friends!" Josie is quick to say. 

The brunette sees the disbelief on her friends' faces and panic is rising fast within her. She doesn't want Hope to have any doubt on their relationship, because if she starts asking questions, Josie won't be able to lie to her. It's one thing to not tell Hope about her feelings, but lying to her is another. So, she quickly looks at the only person she knows will help her.

"Hope, tell them."

The auburn haired girl looks at Josie for a long moment. The brunette doesn't know how to describe the look she's on the receiving end of. Reading Hope seems to only get harder with time, and Josie can't help but be scared by that. When they were kids, their moms used to joke about them being able to communicate without words. Josie wishes that was still true. Now, more often than not, she's left wondering how Hope's brain works. 

The Mikaelson girl shakes her head and stands up.

"This is ridiculous." 

Josie is a little stunned as she watches Hope gather her things and walk away from their table. The brunette quickly glances at her barely touched lunch. She grabs the chocolate pudding, and the tray in her other hand. When she's finally on her feet, Josie catches sight of Hope exiting the cafeteria, so she quickly throws her lunch in the garbage and follows her friend. She follows Hope's steps until they both walk out of the school, Josie even manages to catch up with the Mikaelson girl. Hope doesn't stop walking, or even acknowledge Josie. They end up in the middle of the school's Lacrosse field. Hope drops her bag on the grass before laying on her back. Josie watches her for a couple of seconds before joining her.

"We've always been awfully close." Hope says, quite suddenly. "My mom, she loves telling me that the day I met you, I told her I'd marry you one day. I don't remember it, but I have no problem believing her. I was smitten by you back then."

Hope's words are like a punch to the stomach for Josie. It hurts so much, and at the same time it feels so good, that the brunette feels like she's gonna break down. Her eyes stay glued to the sky, and she forces herself to not cry. She can't afford to let the tears fall right now, because it would tell Hope something's wrong.

"I don't really care if people think we're dating, you know." Hope says next. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Josie doesn't say anything, she doesn't trust her voice at the moment. She's scared that opening her mouth would mean letting the sobs out. So, instead of saying anything, Josie reaches for Hope's hand. They hold hands tightly as they look at the sky. Neither of them move or talk until the bell rings and they have to go back inside.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 17/16 - February _

Josie sighs as she closes her locker. Her vision is filled with red and pink hearts. Wherever she looks, all she sees are those hearts. She starts putting her coat on, and there's a visible pout on her lips as she does so. 

"Someone's not feeling the Valentine's Day mood." Hope says with a smirk as she walks closer to Josie.

They start walking through the hallways together as Josie starts talking.

"I would if I had someone to celebrate it with! The whole thing sounds like so much fun, and I never got to experience it." She sighs dreamily this time. "Romantic dinner for two, chocolate, a teddy bear that says 'I heart you' and a romantic movie. Oh, and let's not forget the kissing." Josie pouts. "I miss being kissed."

Hope rolls her eyes. "It's not always that special. Last year, Ethan and I had dinner at the Mystic Grill and that's it. No big gesture."

"We all know Ethan is not the most romantic person on earth. Did you really expect something else from him?"

The Mikaelson girl shrugs. "Do you think Penelope would have done better?"

"Definitely."

Hope chuckles. "Then, maybe you should have waited after Valentine's Day to break up with her." 

Josie glares at her friend. "Not funny, I had already done enough damage."

Hope winces and gives Josie a sorry smile. They stay silent until they both get to step out of the school. The auburn haired girl takes a deep breath, gathering all her courage to speak up her mind.

"Spend it with me." Seeing Josie's confused look, Hope quickly explains her request. "Valentine's Day, I mean. I'll make it special for you, I promise."

Josie frowns, but there's a smile slowly appearing on her face.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, we could have it all! It'd be your first real Valentine's Day."

The thought of spending Valentine's Day with the girl she's been in love with for years makes her heart flutter. On the other hand, it also sends her brain in overdrive. Maybe it's not the best idea. A romantic day with Hope could end in disaster with how Josie feels for her. If the day goes too well and Josie's overwhelmed with her feelings and tells Hope she's in love with her, it could ruin everything. Their close friendship could be gone so fast for some feelings the brunette mostly has under control.

"Yes, I'd like that." Josie says.

The brunette can't help but think that Hope's beaming smile is worth the torture of spending a romantic day with her.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 17/16 - February 14 _

Josie can feel the blush on her cheeks as she holds on tight to the teddy bear in her arms. The stuffed animal was given to her along with roses by Hope at the start of the night, before their dinner at the older girl's house. The auburn haired girl cooked everything herself, and made sure her mom wouldn't be there for the night. Every little detail the Mikaelson planned went perfectly, and Josie's pink cheeks are the proof. When they were done eating, Hope suggested they go to the park for a walk, so now they are walking in the park side by side. Josie is holding her teddy bear and Hope has her hands stuffed in the pockets of her skinny jeans. Hope's been aching to reach out and hold Josie's hand, but the way the brunette is holding the teddy bear close to her chest pushed her to keep her desire at bay. They fell into easy conversation as soon as they started walking, but neither of them seems to be able to hold eye contact. They steal quick glances at each other from time to time, but they're both too shy to look for a long time. Now, a comfortable silence is engulfing them. 

"I have one last surprise for tonight." Hope softly says. "Then, I'll take you home."

"Okay." Josie shyly says.

Hope has noticed that her friend has been awfully quiet all night, but she didn't dare to ask why. Instead, she's been subtly trying to get Josie to talk. The younger girl seems happy though, so Hope is not that worried. At some point, Josie notices that they're suddenly walking a lot slower than before. Then, Hope completely stops. Josie turns to look at her best friend and ask her what's going on when she sees Jed walking their way.

"Wait for me here." Hope quickly says as she starts walking away. "I'll be back before you know it."

Josie nods, but her hold on the teddy bear gets tighter. She silently watches as Hope jogs away from her and stops to talk to Jed. Lots of thoughts cross her mind, thoughts Josie hates herself for. 

_ Why is Jed here?  _

_ It was supposed to be our night. _

_ Are they a thing?  _

Hope and Jed's talk doesn't last long, and soon enough they're both walking in Josie's direction. The brunette takes a deep breath and forces herself to smile. The boy and Hope both smile back at her as they get closer.

"Hey Josie." He says casually. "Are you having a good night?"

The Saltzman girl nods. "Yeah."

His smile gets bigger. "It's about to get even better." Hope smacks his arm and he winces. "Sorry! I'm not supposed to say more, and I'm supposed to be gone now. Enjoy your date girls." 

Hope and Josie both say their goodbyes as the boy walks away. The uneasy feeling that settled in Josie's chest when she saw Jed is now replaced with butterflies. He was helping Hope for their  _ date _ . He actually used the word date and neither Hope nor Josie corrected him. 

Hope clears her throat. "T-the surprise is ready."

"Did Jed help you?"

Hope nods. "I asked him to help two days ago. He set everything up for the surprise."

The Mikaelson girl notices Josie's only holding the stuffed animal in one arm now, so she takes the opportunity to hold Josie's unoccupied hand. The brunette is startled by the sudden contact, but she happily welcomes it. As soon as their hands are clasped together, Hope guides them to further into the park. At one point, Josie notices some things laying on the ground. 

"They're sky lanterns." Hope quickly explains. "I thought we could write something we wish would happen in the future and then release them into the sky. I got the idea from 'Tangled'."

"My favorite Disney movie." Josie says with a fond smile. "Hope, I love it."

The auburn haired smiles back, but she doesn't say anything. She releases Josie's hand, and the brunette immediately misses the feeling of their hands together. She forces herself not to pout as she watches Hope go get something from the ground where everything has been laid out. The Mikaelson girl comes back with paper and pen. She hands them both to Josie.

"You start." Hope says, but it sounds more like a question.

Josie nods and reaches for the pen and paper. She thinks for a moment about what she should write, but it doesn't take her long to realise there's only one thing she really wants. Or more like, only one person. The very girl that is standing in front of her with stars in her eyes and a wide, genuine smile. 

_ I want you, Hope Mikaelson. _

Josie makes sure her best friend can't see what she wrote and quickly folds the piece of paper in two. As soon as she's done, Josie hands the paper and pen back to Hope. The Mikaelson girl takes them quickly. The brunette chuckles as Hope starts writing as soon as she has them in hands, obviously she already put some thoughts into what she wanted for the future. The older girl does just like Josie, she folds the piece of paper in two. Then, Hope puts the paper and pen back on the ground. 

"Can I help with something?" Josie quickly asks as she gets closer to Hope.

The Mikaelson girl shakes her head. "There's not much to do now. I just need to light these up and then we'll have to attach our pieces of paper to them."

"Oh, okay."

Josie watches her friend light the fight lantern, and takes it in her hands when Hope offers it to her. With the little ribbon already attached to the lantern, Josie ties her piece of paper. Hope does the same to her own lantern, and then they're left looking at each other.

"Shall we?" Hope softly asks.

The way Hope is looking at her at this very moment is gonna forever stay imprinted in Josie's mind. She could almost believe her best friend is in love with her. They look into each other's eyes for a long moment, and then, at the same time, they turn their heads to the sky and release the lanterns. Josie watches them float away with awe, unaware of Hope's eyes on her. The Mikaelson girl is shamelessly staring at the brunette. The moon's light is highlighting Josie's features and making her even more beautiful than she usually is. Hope can't stop herself from reaching out and placing some hair behind Josie's ear. She just wants to see her face better, but when her hand is there, she finds herself gently cupping Josie's cheek. The Saltzman girl quickly looks at Hope as soon as she feels the touch. Their eyes lock for a second before Hope opens her mouth to speak.

"There's still one thing we could do to make this Valentine's Day perfect." 

Josie's heart skips a beat. "What is it?"

Hope moves closer until they're literally breathing the same air. She realises that she'll most likely will have to stand on her tiptoes to actually kiss Josie and that makes a light blush appear on her cheeks. 

"A kiss, Josie."

Josie's eyes go wide when she realises what Hope is about to do. Her body tenses and she stands very still as Hope gets closer. She wishes she could actually enjoy this since it will most likely be her only kiss with the girl she loves. However, there's a small voice in the back of her mind yelling at her that she could lose Hope if she lets go. So, when Hope's lips touch hers, Josie holds her breath, closes her eyes and waits for it to be over. It only takes about two seconds for Hope to pull away. There's panic laced with something else on the Mikaelson girl's face. 

"Josie, you're tense. Did I mess up? I'm so sorry, I should have realised it would make you uncomfortable-"

"No! I just…" Josie takes a deep breath. "You're my best friend. I never thought we would kiss, and you took me by surprise. Please don't be sorry, you did nothing wrong. Tonight has been a dream come true, Hope." The brunette reaches for Hope's hands and squeezes them. "I would change nothing at all, okay?"

Hope is avoiding eye contact. "Okay. I just wanted you to have it all, you know? And kissing seemed important, so-"

Josie quickly cuts her off. "Stop it. I had it all and more. Thank you, Hope."

The auburn haired girl forces a smile and gently takes back her hands. She turns around and quickly gathers everything that was set up on the ground. Josie would help but she feels like her friend is trying to put some distance between them, and even though it's killing her, the brunette knows she should respect that. Hope comes back a minute later with the things in her arms, and she gives Josie a small smile. 

"I'll drive you home now."

Hope starts walking as soon as the words leave her mouth, not even waiting to see if Josie is following her. The brunette stays behind for a couple of seconds. She watches her friend walk away as a sinking feeling takes over her. For a reason that escapes her, she feels like she just hurt Hope. Nothing about this situation makes sense though. The brunette knows that later that night, as she'll be lying in bed, the look Hope gave her when she pulled away from the kiss would haunt her.


	10. Separation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the ending note before screaming at me. Thank you.

_Hope & Josie - 18/17 - August _

Josie opens one of the boxes Hope placed on the floor of her door room. The first thing in the box makes Josie's heart beat a little faster. It's a framed picture of them. She must be 10, and Hope 11 or 12. They are sitting on a couch, all cuddled up together, and Hope seems to be reading a book. As for Josie, her whole attention is on Hope. The Saltzman girl can't help but think that she looks utterly in love with Hope in that picture. Little Josie's eyes are shining with love, and her cheeks are light pink, and little Hope is oblivious to it all.

_How ironic…_ Josie can't help but think. 

"Oh..." Hope says as she walks into the room with a box in hands. "You found that picture."

Josie looks up to her best friend. "It was on top of the box."

Hope seems to be a little nervous, and she avoids Josie's eyes as she goes to open the box she was carrying. 

"I never saw it before." Josie says as she stands up, the frame still in her hands. "Where did you find it?"

Hope shrugs and looks at Josie over her shoulder. 

"I looked through my mom's pictures like a week ago. I found it, and I thought it was cute so I got it framed."

Josie watches Hope's back, sensing all the tension her best friend is feeling at the moment. She wonders why Hope won't meet her eyes. The brunette looks down at the picture one more time, and her heart fills with warmth. Hope decided to frame it and take it to her college dorm room. In a way, she took a part of their childhood with her. Josie only realises she's crying when a tear falls on the picture. She takes a deep shaky breath before quickly wiping the tear off the picture. 

Josie looks back up at Hope. The Mikaelson girl is standing at her desk, slowly emptying the box. Josie walks a couple of steps closer, until she's standing right behind Hope. The auburn haired girl immediately feels her there, and stops what she's doing. Josie places the framed picture on the desk before gently circling Hope's waist with her arms. The hug is tight, with Josie's chest pressed against Hope's back. Hope's hair is pulled up into a ponytail, leaving the skin of her neck exposed, so when Josie buries her face there, the Mikaelson girl can tell she's crying. Hope quickly covers Josie's hands with her own before she tries to turn around in her best friend's arms, but the brunette won't allow it. Josie's hold on Hope stays tight, and there's no way the other girl could move.

"Josie, let me turn around." Hope softly asks, but the brunette shakes her head. "Please, I want to hold you too."

The words have their desired effect. Josie's hold starts loosening, allowing Hope to turn around. The Saltzman girl's hands end up on Hope's lower back, bringing them close once more. The older girl doesn't hesitate to lift her arms to place a hand on Josie's upper back and the other on the back of Josie's neck. Hope can still feel her best friend crying, and it brings tears to her own eyes. She tries playing with Josie's hair to calm her down, knowing how soothing the gesture was to the brunette. After a minute or two, Josie's breathing starts coming back to normal. They still hold each other for a couple more minutes after that, neither one of them wanting to let go just yet. 

"Is everything okay here?" 

Hope and Josie jump apart, both of them taken by surprise when they hear Hayley's voice. Their eyes meet for a second before they both avoid making eye contact again. Josie takes a step to the side, putting some distance between them as she feels a blush blossoming on her cheeks. Hope turns back to her desk and tries to busy herself with emptying the box again.

The Mikaelson girl clears her throat. "Everything's fine."

Hayley looks at her daughter skeptically before her eyes go to Josie. The brunette has gone back to emptying the box she had opened earlier, and the way her hair is falling hides her face to Hayley's eyes. She doesn't question the teenagers further, but the tension doesn't leave the room before Josie and Hayley step out of it.

* * *

_Hope & Josie - 18/17 - November 29th _

Hope doesn't even take the time to think about anything as she stops her car into her mother's driveway. She steps out of the car and quickly grabs her bag from the trunk. She's late for her day with Josie, and she hates herself for it. She was supposed to get to Mystic Falls just after lunch so they could spend the afternoon together, but her study group ended later than it was supposed to. Now, it's past dinner and Josie must hate her. 

The Mikaelson girl quickly gets inside the house, and drops her bag to the floor. She begins to take off her boots, but a noise catches her attention. Hope quickly looks up, and the look her mother is giving her makes her feel even worse than she already felt. 

"Josie waited for you here all day." Hayley says. Hope opens her mouth to reply but her mother lifts a hand to stop her. "She's in the backyard. Keep your boots on and go."

Hope nods quickly and starts to walk to the back door of the house, but she suddenly stops. She doesn't look back at her mom, afraid of what she'll see if she does.

"Is she mad?"

Hayley shakes her head even though her daughter can't see her. "She's upset."

Hope clenches her jaw. "That's even worse."

The Mikaelson girl keeps walking, still not looking back at Hayley. As soon as she gets to the door, Hope can see Josie through the window. The brunette is laying down in the snow, looking up at the sky. The snow is gently falling on her, but Josie doesn't seem bothered by it. She doesn't move, and Hope quickly gets worried so she walks out of the house without another thought. 

The winter air is cold, and it stings Hope's skin. She swallows with difficulty, and hopes that her best friend hasn't been outside for hours. Everytime she takes a step towards Josie, the contact between her feet and the snow makes a squishing noise. There's no way the brunette doesn't hear it, but Josie never even glances at Hope. The Mikaelson girl quickly gets to her best friend, and she wastes no time before laying down next to her. Very slowly Hope reaches for Josie's hand while keeping her eyes on the side of her friend's face. The brunette lets it all happen, and after a minute or two, she even turns her head to look at Hope.

Josie's cheeks are red, most likely from the cold. For a moment her face is blank, devoid of emotions, but then a slow smile appears on her face as tears fall from her eyes. Hope can't stop her own tears from falling too.

"I thought you wouldn't come." Josie says, her voice hoarse.

"I'm so sorry, Josie." Hope manages to say. "I didn't mean to be so late. My study gro-"

"Stop." Josie says as she shakes her head. "You're here, and that's all that matters for now." She chuckles lightly. "Shall we start now?"

Hope shakes her head. "We're skipping this part. It's too cold, and I have a feeling you've been outside for a while."

Josie makes a grimace. "I'm freezing."

"Yeah, I can tell." Hope starts standing up. "Let's get you inside. You're gonna take a warm shower while I prepare the snacks and the movie."

Josie's smile gets bigger. "Sounds like a plan."

Hope offers her hand to Josie to help her stand up, and the brunette gladly accepts it. They don't let go of each other's hand as they walk to the house, neither of them being ready just yet. Once they are inside, they are met with Hayley fondly looking at them.

"You made up quickly."

Josie shrugs. "There's no time to waste. Hope's only here for the night."

Hope's mother nods as she silently watches them take their winter clothes off. The two girls exchange little glances that Hayley can't miss, and that makes her wonder. It's not the first time the relationship between Hope and Josie forced one of their parents to question themselves. Their close bond was enough to make everyone around them wonder. 

"Are your things already in my bedroom?" Hope asks Josie, and the brunette nods. "Okay, now go take that shower. I'll be waiting for you in the living room, and I'll prepare everything."

Josie agrees before quickly disappearing upstairs, Hope's eyes never leaving her as she goes. When the brunette's out of sight, the Mikaelson girl does just as she told Josie she would. She quickly gets to work on the snacks by going to the kitchen. From the corner of her eyes, she sees her mother standing with her arms crossed in the doorway.

"Did you wanna say something, mom?"

Hayley sighs. "Why are you late?"

Hope freezes, her hold on the mugs in her hands makes her knuckles go white.

"My study group ended later than it was supposed to."

"Is Landon in that study group?"

Hope puts the two mugs on the counter before turning around to face her mother. 

"Why are you asking me that?" Hope snaps.

"Don't take that tone with me, Hope." Hayley warns. "I know you were happy to see him again when you learned you were going to the same college, but neglecting your best friend for a boy-"

"I was not with Landon!" Hope interrupts her mother. "Josie is more important than that to me. I got held up at my study group. End of the story."

Hayley glares at her daughter, and Hope keeps her head high. 

"We're gonna finish this conversation later. Now, prepare a perfect night for your best friend. She needs it."

Her mother's tone of voice makes Hope assume that something is wrong. Something Josie didn't tell her about. Hayley turns around to leave.

"What do you mean?" Hope quickly asks before her mother can step out.

The woman turns to face her daughter once again. Hayley looks worried, and it does nothing to calm the auburn haired girl.

"Didn't she tell you?" Hayley asks, and Hope shakes her head. "Maybe you should wait for her to-"

"Mom! Tell me." Hope urges her mother.

Hayley sighs. "She met up with her father this week. Let's just say it didn't go well."

"She did what?!" Hope says through gritted-teeth.

"Hope, calm down. I don't know the whole story, but I'm sure Josie had a reason for meeting up with him."

"He hurt her so badly! He said something was wrong with her, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with Josie." Hope takes a deep breath. "She deserves better."

"I know, but now she doesn't need your anger. She needs your love and support."

Hope looks at her mother for a long moment, Hayley's words echoing in her head. She soon realises her mother is right. The auburn haired girl sighs and nods before turning her back to Hayley again.

"I just wish I could be here with her." Hope says quietly.

"I know."

"I'll take care of the snacks now." 

"I'll get the blankets from the closet."

The Mikaelson girl thanks her mother before trying to focus her attention on what she's doing. It takes her a good five minutes to get the snacks and the hot chocolate ready. When she walks into the living room and sets everything down, Hope notices Josie walking down the stairs. The brunette is wearing her PJs and the white little bunnies and pink background make Hope smile fondly.

"New PJs?" Hope wonders out loud.

Josie smiles. "Yeah, I got it for tonight."

"It looks cute on you."

The brunette avoids her friend's eyes. "Thank you. You should go put yours on now."

Hope nods before walking out of the living room. When she walks close to Josie, the older girl stops. Josie looks at her with a puzzled look, obviously wondering why Hope stopped.

"My mom told me about your dad. I'm sorry, Jo."

Josie's mouth drops. She opens it and closes it a couple of times before she's actually capable of speaking.

"I wanted to tell you. I swear."

"It's okay. I know it's been hard to talk since I've been gone." Hope says with a sorry smile. "We'll have time to catch up tonight."

Josie timidly agrees before Hope leaves to go change. The Mikaelson girl doesn't take her time to change, instead she quickly gets out of her clothes and puts the first PJs she finds on. Then, she runs back downstairs to spend time with Josie. Together, the girls build their blanket fort. When it's done, they settle inside of it and start a Christmas movie that they don't watch. They spend hours talking about the time they had to be apart. Even though Josie is taller than Hope, it's the auburn haired girl that holds the brunette. Josie's head rests in the space between Hope's collarbone and her neck, and their legs are tangled together. The Mikaelson girl is playing with her best friend's brown locks while Josie rubs small circles on her stomach. For a moment, both of them feel whole again.

* * *

_Hope & Josie - 18/17 - February 15 _

The faint buzzing of her phone distracts Josie from the Math assignment she is working on. With one hand, she rubs her face to get rid of the tiredness she's feeling, while she reaches for her phone with the other. Her heart jumps a little when she sees her best friend's name on the screen. She quickly answers the call.

"Hi?"

"Hi, Josie!" Hope cheerfully says. "I'm sorry, I know it's late, but I have some news and I really needed to share it with you."

Josie chuckles. "I'm good, Hope. Thank you for asking."

Hope rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. So, do you want me to tell you, or not?"

"You know I do. Go ahead."

"So yesterday was Valentine's Day an-"

"Wow, Hope. Thank you for reminding me."

"Don't interrupt me, smartass." Hope says, clearly annoyed. "So, Landon asked me out on a date. At first I thought it was a friendly thing, but then he kissed me at the end. He asked me to be his girlfriend, Jo! We're dating."

"Oh…" Josie lets out.

The brunette is almost certain that's what having your heart broken feels like. It's physically painful. 

"Oh? Is that all you have to say?" Hope gently asks.

"I-I, uh…" Josie takes a deep breath. "I'm happy for you. I need to hang up, it's very late. Goodnight, Hope."

Without waiting for an answer, Josie hangs up. She's surprised she managed to say all those words, because it feels like she can't breathe. The pain in her chest is piercing and burning, and it feels overwhelming. The brunette gets up from her chair, and walks to her bed. When she's finally on it, she curls herself into a ball, holding her knees to her chest with her arms. At first, the tears don't come. She has to catch her breath before they start to fall like waterfalls. She's sobbing loudly, and uncontrollably. 

She doesn't acknowledge it when her mom and her twin come crashing into the room. She does feel them holding her though. She doesn't react immediately, but she does end up holding on to her mother tightly. As she's being held, Josie thinks of the year before when she was the one spending Valentine's Day with Hope. All the missed opportunities she let slip through her fingers countless of times. It only serves to break her heart even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me, okay? I'm just following the storyline. If you remember correctly, I told you all that this story was inspired by a song and music video. Go watch the "Marry Me" music video by Thomas Rhett. 
> 
> I promise there's a happy ending here.


	11. Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I know it's been a long time... Life is just crazy right now, and I have so many stories to update so... Yeah, sorry. 
> 
> Enjoy!

_ Hope & Josie - 19/18 - August _

Josie sighs as she walks into the cabin she shares with another monitor. Looking after children in a summer camp is so much harder than she thought it would be. When she sees that Sarah's not inside the cabin, the brunette doesn't hesitate to take her blue shirt off and throw it on her bed. She's sweaty and gross, but she doesn't have time to take a shower before she has to look after the kids during the evening activity. She can at least put on a clean shirt though. 

When her new shirt is on, Josie sits down on her bed and reaches for her phone that she left on her nightstand that morning. She has a good ten minutes before she needs to get back to the kids. She goes to her missed calls and bites her lower lip as she sees the three calls she missed. Her mom, her sister and Hope. She only hesitates for a second before choosing who she's gonna call back.

The phone rings once before Hope picks it up. "Josie!"

The brunette chuckles. "Hi, Hope."

"How are you? How's summer camp? It's been two weeks since you last called!"

Hope speaks so quickly that Josie barely understands every word. Hearing her best friend's voice fills the Saltzman girl with warmth before making her heart sink. Even though she took this job to take her distance from Hope and hopefully move on, it doesn't seem to be working at all.

"I'm exhausted." Josie chuckles. "I swear these kids never get tired. Summer camp is great, I'm having a good time. How is your summer going?" 

The brunette avoids the topic of her not calling for two weeks. She can't exactly tell Hope she did it on purpose and that's it's been killing her. 

"It's been chill. I came home and spent some time with my mom." She chuckles. "I even went to the movies with Lizzie because I was missing you. I came back to New Orleans last week though, and I got settled in my new apartment. Other than that, I've been spending time with Landon."

Josie forces herself to smile even though Hope can't see her. She has to be happy for her friend. She has to move on.

"Enough about me though." Hope ends up saying. "Tell me more about your summer. Did something interesting happen?"

There's only one thing that comes to Josie's mind and it makes her cheeks heat up. 

"I did something dumb." Josie says quietly.

"What did you do?" Hope asks, curiosity clear in her voice.

"Isleptwithsomeone." The brunette blurts out.

"What?" Hope automatically replies.

"I had sex with a boy. Here, at camp."

There's a pause as the information sinks in for Hope. The more time passes, the worse Josie's nervosity gets.

"How did that happen?" The Mikaelson girl asks.

Josie shrugs. "He's nice, and… I don't know. It just happened."

"It just happened? Josie, your first time should have been special!"

The Saltzman girl rolls her eyes and stands up. "Look, it was  _ my _ first time. If I wanted to lose it with a boy I barely know then it's my business."

Hope sighs loudly. "I guess you're right. Are you okay? I mean, he didn't hurt you, right?"

Hope's soft tone of voice and her obvious worry make it impossible for Josie to stay defensive. 

"He didn't hurt me. The whole thing wasn't that good, but it was the first time for the both of us so…"

Hope sighs again. "Yeah."

Josie quickly looks at the clock on her nightstand. She doesn't have any time left to speak with her best friend.

"I have to go back."

"Already?"

"Yeah." Josie says softly. "I'll call you again tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 19/18 - December 31 - Day _

Ever since she woke up, Josie's been buzzing with happiness and energy. Hope would get back to Mystic Falls in the afternoon. Seeing her best friend again after months apart would be so good. They'd get to spend a week together, or at least that's what the Mikaelson girl said. So, the brunette spends the whole day at Hayley's house, helping Hope's family to prepare everything for the iconic Mikaelson New Year's Eve party. Josie is helping Freya and Keelin in the kitchen when they all hear Hope's arrival. The Saltzman girl's eyes immediately light up and a big smile appears on her face. Keelin bumps Josie's shoulder with her own and gives her a teasing smile.

"You should go say 'hi'."

Josie looks down at the food they still had to prepare and bites her bottom lip.

"But-"

Keelin cuts her off. "I can handle this. Go."

The brunette thanks the woman before quickly getting rid of her apron. She walks out of the kitchen, and stops by the mirror in the halway. She just wants to make sure she doesn't look like a mess. Josie puts a few strands of hair back in their place and smiles when she's satisfied with her looks. She takes a deep breath and makes her way to the front door where Hayley and Klaus are already welcoming Hope in. Josie's smile falls when she sees Hope's not the only one that just walked into the house. Two men and a woman are with her best friend, and even though the brunette hasn't seen them in years, she knows who they are. The man with curly black hair is clearly Landon, the tall guy with dark skin has to be Rafael and the woman can only be Jade. 

Hope is being hugged by both her parents when she catches sight of Josie. The auburn haired girl's face immediately lights up, and Josie does her best to look just as happy. It's not long before Hope gets out of her parents' arms to run to her best friend. When their bodies come crashing together, the impact is so strong that they both end up on the floor. Josie winces as the pain sinks in, but she can't really focus on that when Hope is holding her that tight. The Mikaelson girl buries her face in the brunette's neck and tries to snuggle impossibly closer. For a second, Josie wonders how she handled being away from Hope for months. Then, she tightens her own hold on her best friend and stops thinking all together. 

Klaus chuckles. "Girls, are you gonna stay on the floor all day?"

"We could." Hope immediately answers.

Josie smiles fondly. "But we won't."

"We won't?" Hope quietly says.

"You brought friends with you, remember?"

"Oh… Yeah."

Hope leans back and looks down at Josie for a moment. A soft smile quickly takes over her face before she moves to sit on the floor, followed by Josie.

"You have space buns." 

Josie blushes. "Yeah."

"I love when you do that hairstyle. It suits you." 

Hope's smile doesn't leave her face as she finally stands up. She offers her hand to Josie to help her stand too. Josie takes it and quickly gets up from the floor too. As soon as she's standing, the brunette's eyes go back to the three people she last saw years ago. They seem a little out of place and shy, and suddenly Josie feels bad for the way she reacted when she first saw them. She offers them an encouraging smile that seems to ease their awkwardness. 

"Josie, you remember Landon, Rafael and Jade, right?" Hope quickly says.

"Yeah, I do." She gives them a little wave. "Hey, guys."

Landon is the first to take a step closer to the two best friends. He slips his hand into Hope's, and Josie has to swallow the lump in her throat at the sight. 

"It's good to see you again, Josie." He says before glancing at the auburn haired girl by his side. "Hope talks about you all the time."

For a short moment, Josie wonders what she's supposed to answer to that. All that comes to her mind are lies. She's saved from answering at all when Jade steps forward. The girl with dark blonde hair gets closer to Josie than Landon did.

"Hey, Jo." She softly says. "Do I get a hug?

Instead of answering, Josie steps closer and brings Jade into a tight embrace. Memories of the summer they met fills her head. Getting close to Jade had been her only option that summer since Hope was all about Landon, and Lizzie was crushing hard on Rafael. It had been a good thing though. Josie remembers Jade as soft and sweet, as well as brutally honest. 

"You got so tall!" Jade says with a light laugh.

Josie playfully rolls her eyes. "That comes with the whole growing up process."

"I guess Hope missed a step or two then." Jade says with a teasing smile.

The auburn haired girl's mouth drops. "Hey!"

The offended look on Hope's face immediately makes Josie laugh. Hearing the brunette's laugh is enough for Hope to go from offended to smitten.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 19/18 - December 31 - Night _

Six times. Landon took Hope away from Josie six times that day. They haven't been able to have a single full conversation. Normally she could probably just brush it off. Landon is Hope's boyfriend, it's normal for him to seek her attention. The reason Josie is so upset is because Hope promised they'd get to catch up tonight since they didn't get to be together on their meeting anniversary. It's the first year they skip that important day, and it feels like the end of something for them. Maybe it just means the end of their childhood. 

The brunette is leaning against one of the walls of the living room, looking at all the guests having fun. Usually she'd be just like them, but not tonight. Tonight, she's bitter and angry. Her eyes end up fixed on Hope and Landon once more. The couple is dancing close in the middle of the room, and if looks could kill, Landon wouldn't be alive anymore. Josie takes a quick look around the room, and when she's sure no one is paying attention to her, she pushes herself away from the wall. The brunette walks straight to the kitchen, and she takes the first bottle of alcohol she can see on the kitchen counter. She goes upstairs and makes her way to the balcony without taking her coat with her. As soon as she steps outside, the cold air of the night hits her hard. Still, she closes the door behind her and walks to the guardrail. Josie looks at the beautiful view in front of her for a couple of seconds before lifting the bottle to her lips, but just as she's about to take her first sip, the door behind her opens. Josie quickly turns around and she's relieved to see it's Jade who followed her. The older girl has Josie's coat in her hands, and she places it on the brunette's shoulders without saying anything. Josie sighs as warmth envelops her, but she doesn't put her arms into the sleeves. Jade gently takes the bottle from Josie's hand and places it on the ground. Together, they lean their elbows on the guardrail. 

"How long has it been?" Jade softly asks. 

Josie knows what Jade is asking. She doesn't know how the older girl figured it out, but what she's talking about is clear to the brunette. Still, she decides to play dumb.

"What do you mean?" Josie says, her eyes glued to the view she gets from the balcony. Jade gives her a look, and Josie sighs. "Years. Ever since we met."

"Does she know?"

Josie lets out a dark chuckle. "I never told her."

"She could still know."

The brunette finally looks at Jade. "What do you mean?"

"You don't always have to tell people you're in love with them for them to know. Haven't you heard?" Jade smirks. "Actions speak louder than words."

"I-I don't wanna think about that."

Jade nods, and goes back to look at the view. They stay silent for a long moment after that, both of them lost in their own worlds. Josie thinks of what Jade just said and wonders if she ever did anything that could actually tell Hope she has been in love with her for years. The two times she almost kissed her best friend come to her mind first, but then it's a billion little things that show up in her head. 

"You know, I can't take sides in this story. Landon's my best friend, and he loves Hope. I'm happy they have each other." Jade sighs. "But she has to be stupid to not see you're in love with her. If she sees it, and decides to ignore it… Then, she's a fool."

Josie turns her head to look at Jade. She smiles and shakes her head fondly. 

"You barely know me."

Jade lifts a hand and gently touches Josie's cheek before cupping it.

"I know enough." She says softly. 

The door suddenly opens, making the two girls jump apart. Josie and Jade quickly turn around to look at the intruder. Jade crosses her arms and looks more than annoyed when her eyes fall on Hope. As for Josie, her cheeks are on fire and she can't meet her best friend's eyes. 

"Hey." Hope says with a tight smile. "What are you both doing out here?"

There's a little pause. Josie and Jade's eyes meet for a second. The girl with dark blonde hair shrugs, and Josie knows she has to handle this.

"I needed some fresh air." 

Josie congratulates herself. What she just said wasn't technically a lie. 

"Oh." Hope says quietly. "I was looking for you."

"Well, I'm here." The brunette forces a smile.

"Yeah, I can see that."

"I'm gonna go find Landon and Raf." Jade suddenly says. "Find me if you need anything, Josie."

The Saltzman girl nods. "Okay."

As soon as Jade leaves and goes back inside, Hope closes the door behind her. Josie is still standing by the guardrail, but now her back is turned toward the house instead of the view. Their eyes are locked together as Hope slowly walks closer, only stopping when she's standing right where Jade was a moment before. The only difference between Hope and Jade's positions is their proximity with Josie. Jade had been standing at a safe distance from the brunette, but Hope is standing so close to her that their sides end up pressed together. The Mikaelson girl is looking at the view instead of the house, so Josie slowly turns around to do the same. Hope quickly looks back at Josie, and immediately frowns. 

"Why aren't you wearing your coat properly? It's freezing outside."

Hope prompts Josie to put her arms through the sleeves of her coat. When that's done, the auburn haired girl reaches for the zipper and closes Josie's coat. The attention and care Hope is giving Josie quickly makes the brunette feel overwhelmed. Before she can convince herself otherwise, Josie leans in and leaves a soft kiss on Hope's forehead.

"I love you, Hope." Josie says as she moves away.

The Mikaelson girl doesn't hesitate before replying. "I love you too."

Josie smiles sadly. "Why were you looking for me?"

"I promised you we could catch up tonight, and we didn't even get to have a proper conversation." Hope sighs. "I love Landon, but I just want some alone time with you. It's been too long."

This time, Josie's smile is genuine. Even though Hope isn't in love with her, Josie still has an important place in her life, a meaningful place. 

"It broke my heart to miss our meeting anniversary." Hope says, her voice thick with emotion.

Josie swallows with difficulty, trying to keep herself from crying.

"It broke mine too." The brunette shares. "I tried so hard to make it work, but I really would have failed my class if I came for a weekend."

Hope nods. "And I had to do my internship hours."

"I guess we're gonna have to accept that things are different now."

"I wish it wasn't. Missing you is the worst feeling in the world."

Josie wonders how her best friend can say these kinds of things and not see the effect they have on her. That's also right at this moment that Josie realises something important. She might never get over Hope Mikaelson.

Later that night, after Josie and Hope joined the party again and celebrated the new year with everyone, Josie decides to go home. The emotions she felt that day are starting to take a toll on her. She quickly says goodbye to Hope and Landon. It feels like the Mikaelson girl would like to say something, but she stops herself and wishes her best friend a good night. Josie quickly goes to say bye to Hope's family and to her own. Then, she finds Jade chatting with Rafael, Lizzie and MG on the right side of the room. Jade immediately smiles when she sees the brunette.

"Hey." Josie says with a tight smile. "I just came to wish you all a good night. I'm going home."

They all say their goodbyes, and then Josie turns around to finally leave. She barely walks two steps before Jade calls her name.

"Josie! Wait for me." Jade quickly catches up with the brunette. "Would you mind if I walk you home?"

"That actually sounds really good."

After getting dressed to face the cold air of the night once more, Josie and Jade get out of the Mikaelson home. They walk in silence for a couple of seconds before Josie suddenly speaks.

"Do you think it's possible for someone to fall in love with only one person?" 

"In their whole life?" Jade asks with a frown.

"Yeah." Josie breathes out. "Do you think some people are just made to love one person and to never let go of that love?"

Jade shakes her head as she starts speaking. "I'm not a fan of the word 'impossible', but I do think loving only one person during a lifetime seems unlikely."

"I don't think I could ever love someone as much as I love Hope."

"And that's okay." Jade quickly says. "You know, they say we never love the same way twice. I think that's the truest thing I've heard about love."

Josie smiles as she looks at Jade. Gently, she bumps the older girl's elbow with her own. It has the desired effect since Jade quickly looks at the brunette, and they instantly make eye contact.

"I got tall and you got wise." 

Jade smirks. "We both got hot, though."

Josie's cheeks immediately get pink, and a smile appears on her face. This kind of compliment always manages to make her feel shy and giddy. She looks back to Jade only to see the older girl looking right back at her with a smug smile. 

The brunette clears her throat. "My mom's house is not that far now."

Jade nods. "How's college going for you?"

"Oh, it's okay. I mean, it's a lot of work, but it's the same thing for everyone."

"Yeah. What are you studying?"

"Education. I want to be a teacher."

Jade smiles fondly. "That suits you."

"Hope says the same thing." Josie says before realising it. She quickly clears her throat again. "What about you?"

Jade chuckles. "College is kicking my ass, but I'm gonna win this fight."

"What's your major?"

"Nursing."

"Oh, wow. That's impressive." 

Jade's laugh echoes through the empty streets of Mystic Falls.

"Not as impressive as wanting to teach something to ungrateful little shits."

Josie can't stop herself from joining Jade's laughter for a while. Then, the brunette stops walking. The older girl walks a couple of steps before realising Josie stopped, she then stops too and turns around.Their eyes meet, and the Saltzman girl offers a sorry smile to Jade.

"That's your house, isn't it?"

Josie nods. "Yeah."

Jade takes two steps closer. "Yeah, okay."

Josie bites her bottom lip for a second before she decides on what she's gonna say next.

"Do you wanna come inside?"

Jade shakes her head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

The brunette frowns. "Why?"

"You're kind of my fantasy girl, Josie Saltzman." Jade says with a smirk. "I might try to charm you if we're left alone in a house."

"Y-your…" Josie stutters. "How?"

Jade smiles and nods. "I had a big crush on you the summer we met. Just like Landon with Hope, I always remembered you."

"Jade, I-" Josie starts saying only to be cut off.

"Don't." The girl says with a soft smile. "That wasn't me trying to make a move. That was me explaining why I can't go inside your house with you."

Josie hugs herself as she nods her understanding. Then, all of a sudden, she quickly gets her phone out of her pocket.

"Could we stay in touch? I'd really like to have you as my friend."

"Wow, this friendzoning is brutal, Saltzman." 

Josie's eyes grow big. "No! I didn't mean-"

"I'm kidding." Jade quickly says. "Give me your phone." Josie playfully rolls her eyes but still hands her phone to Jade. The girl with dark blonde hair quickly types away on Josie's phone. "Okay, so I added my number and I sent myself a text. This way, if you chicken out and never write or call, I can do it."

Josie chuckles as she takes back her phone. They quickly say goodbye before Josie finally gets into her home. The Saltzman girl takes a long shower before doing her night routine. After she's finally stepping out of the bathroom, Josie decides to take a look at her phone. She even thinks about actually sending a text to Jade, but there's a message waiting for her when she opens her messaging app. 

**From : Hope**

_ I heard Jade walked you home _

_ Hope you're safe. Love you xx _

Just like that, all thoughts of Jade fly out the window and everything is about Hope once more. Josie turns her phone off and quickly leaves it on her nightstand before letting herself fall face first on her bed. The brunette reaches for her pillow, then she buries her face in it and screams as loud as she can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I know at this point you're probably wondering about Hosie... I swear it will happen!!
> 
> I hope you're enjoying the angst for now...


	12. The calm and the storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> No, no, no! You are not dreaming! You're getting a new chapter already 😉

_ Hope & Josie - 19/19 & 20/19 - May 1st to May 3rd _

The butterflies in Josie's stomach are flying strong as she knocks on the door of Hope's apartment. It will be the first weekend she's gonna spend at Hope's place, and she can't wait to have some alone time with her best friend. 

Her time with Hope only seems to get more and more rare, and unfortunately it doesn't help the brunette's feelings go away. She now has Jade in her corner though. Their friendship has beautifully bloomed since New Year's Eve, and it's to Josie's greatest pleasure. Jade is charming and flirty, and she respects Josie's boundaries, something the brunette is really thankful for. 

Hope quickly opens the door when she hears Josie knock. 

"Josie! You're finally here." The auburn haired girl excitedly says.

Hope gently grabs Josie's wrist and pulls her inside the apartment. Josie giggles and lets her best friend pull her in without any resistance. As soon as she's in, the brunette is hit by how Hope's place just seems to perfectly suit her. The colors, the decorations, the furniture… 

"Welcome home, Jo." Hope softly says by Josie's side.

The Saltzman girl quickly looks at her friend. "Your home."

Hope rolls her eyes with a smile. "Which means it's also yours."

Instead of saying anything, Josie places her bag on the floor and quickly hugs Hope. She closes her arms around the auburn haired girl's waist and lifts her off the ground. Hope's laughter invades the apartment as Josie twirls her around in her arms. 

"I missed you!" Josie says as she finally lets Hope's feet touch the floor again. 

Hope giggles. "I missed you too. Now, come on. I'm gonna show you around."

Hope takes Josie's hand in hers, intertwining their fingers quickly and naturally. She guides Josie around the apartment. The auburn haired girl is still talking excitedly, and Josie never gets to say a word. She doesn't mind though. She could listen to Hope talking all her life. When the tour is done, Hope tells Josie to get comfortable while she orders food for dinner. Josie sits down on the couch and looks around. Hope may have shown her around, the brunette feels like she barely had time to look at a single room properly. There's pictures hanging all around the living room, and Josie smiles softly as she looks at every one of them. Hope's family is in most of them, and so is Josie. There's one picture that Josie doesn't recognize. It's the Mikaelson girl with Jade, Rafael and Landon. 

Hope suddenly sits down on the couch right next to Josie, making the brunette jump in surprise. The Mikaelson girl lets herself sink deeper into the soft cushions and sighs as she looks at her best friend with a special kind of softness in her eyes.

"I ordered pizza from a place that's near. They have a delicious vegan pizza."

Josie smirks. "Why did you, Hope Mikaelson, try their vegan pizza?"

"To make sure you'd like it, of course."

"Hope…" Josie says barely above a whisper. "You're so sweet."

The Mikaelson girl shrugs. "I just want what's best for you." She pauses for a second or two. "Talking about that… I heard you and Jade have been talking a lot."

Josie nods. "Yeah."

"That's all I get?"

"There's nothing else to say, Hope." Josie says with a sigh. "Jade and I are friends. We've been talking a lot, but I haven't seen her since New Year's Eve."

The brunette sees that Hope doesn't fully believe her, but the auburn haired girl doesn't prompt her to say more. They soon move on to lighter subject of conversation and settle on watching a movie together. It takes little to no time before Hope snuggles herself close to Josie. The way they fall into old patterns and ways so naturally always baffles the Saltzman girl. They spend the whole night chatting and watching movies, and it's entirely too easy for Josie to forget Landon and Jade even exist. 

When it's time to sleep, neither of them hesitate to slip under the covers of the same bed. They both sit on their backs for a while, side by side and silent. Hope quietly says goodnight and turns her back to Josie. For a long moment, the brunette doesn't move. She thinks about spooning Hope, but lacks the bravery to actually do it. After realising that, the brunette tightens her jaw and quickly turns her back to Hope. 

The next morning, Josie wakes up feeling warmer than she felt the night before. There's also a weight on her chest and legs that wasn't there when she fell asleep. When she finally opens her eyes and looks down, Josie's heart bursts with love. Hope is wrapped around her like a baby koala. Her head is resting on the brunette's chest, her arms are tight around her waist and one of her legs is thrown over Josie's. The Saltzman girl doesn't move, too afraid to wake up the girl in her arms. She just wants to enjoy this moment for a little while longer. Hope ends up opening her eyes around a minute or two after Josie, but she doesn't move from her position. Instead she just snuggles even closer to her best friend.

"Happy birthday, Hope." Josie says softly.

Hope hums and nods. "Thank you, and good morning."

"Good morning."

Hope sighs before squeezes Josie tighter than before. Then, she suddenly completely lets go and rolls out of bed. 

"Where are you going?" Josie whines.

Hope walks to her desk to look at herself in the mirror., and she looks over her shoulder at Josie with a smirk before looking back in the mirror. 

"I wish we could have stayed in bed all day, but we have things to do." Hope starts pulling her hair into a ponytail. "Come on, Jo. Get out of bed."

"Fine."

The whole day goes by way quicker than Josie would have wanted it to. After getting out of bed, the girls get ready to go out, and then they head out to have breakfast. After that, Hope takes Josie all her favorite places in town. A coffee shop where she likes to study, a little art gallery she discovered the first week she got here, the park she hangs out to with Landon, Jade and Rafael… Josie follows with her eyes and ears wide open. She feels like she gets to know a part of Hope she didn't know before. For some reason, that makes her feel both uneasy and giddy. Thinking that there's a part of Hope that she doesn't know is hard for Josie since they've always been so close, but at the same time she's more than happy to learn everything that makes Hope who she is.

When the time for dinner comes, Hope stops walking and looks at Josie with guilt written all over her face.

"I planned something for dinner. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

"Why would I get mad at you?"

Hope bites her lip. "I planned a double date. Landon and I, and you and Jade."

"You what?!"

"It's my birthday, and Landon really wanted to be there. I didn't want you to feel left out, and since you've been talking with Jade, I thought-"

"I can't believe this."

"Josie, please. I'm sure we can have fun." Hope takes Josie's hands in hers. "It's your chance to make it happen with Jade."

The frustration Josie feels in that moment is out of this world. It's hard for her to believe that Hope could be so blind. Josie looks at her best friend in the eyes for a couple of seconds, hoping to find something in them that would tell her it's not really what Hope wants. When she finds nothing, and feels like she's looking into a stranger's eyes, Josie nods.

"Okay."

"Yeah?" Hope says.

"Yeah."

Josie follows Hope into the restaurant. Her heart has never been heavier, but when they get to the table where Jade and Landon are waiting for them, she still manages to smile. It takes no time for Hope and Landon to cuddle on one side of the booth, and for Josie to sit next to Jade on the other side. At first, Josie can't help but be stiff. She's still desperately trying to keep her anger and disappointment at bay. However, as time passes and Hope pays more attention to Landon than anything else, Josie fully focuses on Jade.

Jade is nice. She's sweet and charming, and Josie knows that. The brunette tells herself that she can fall for Jade if she tries hard enough. She just has to forget Hope. She just has to ignore the butterflies in her stomach whenever her best friend is around. Maybe with time Jade could make her feel something similar to that. She can make this happen. It will be better for absolutely everyone.

The dinner flies by as soon as Josie falls into easy conversation with Jade. After they're done eating, and they cover the bills, the brunette fully expects to walk back to Hope's apartment, but that's until Landon speaks up.

"So, I was thinking… This night is going well for all of us." He smiles as he looks at the girls around the table. "We could keep going into that direction. I could go back to Hope's place with her, and Josie could go back to ours with Jade."

Josie immediately freezes, and Hope's mouth drops.

"Landon…" Jade says, her voice sounds like a warning.

Hope doesn't say a thing and actively avoids Josie's eyes. 

"Let's do that." Josie says with a forced smile.

"Josie, you don't have to." Jade says, quiet enough so that only the brunette can hear. 

Josie turns to look at Jade, and this time her smile is genuine. She could be with someone so much worse than Jade.

"It's okay."

Landon's smile is wide. "Awesome. Let's go, Hope."

He stands up and offers his hand to the auburn haired girl. Josie and Hope make eye contact just before the Mikaelson girl takes her boyfriend's hand and stands up too. They quickly say their goodbyes before Hope and Landon walk out of the restaurant, followed by Josie and Jade. They part ways outside, and then Josie's left with Jade. They walk in silence for a moment, and Josie notices how Jade is at a safe distance from her.

"Are you scared of me or something?" The brunette teases.

"What?" Jade says with a frown. "No, I just… Don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"How sweet of you."

Josie takes a little step to the side, reducing the space between them before reaching for Jade's hand. She doesn't intertwine their fingers, opting to simply clasping their hands together.

"Josie… What are you doing?"

The Saltzman girl shrugs. "I want us to give this a chance. If you're up for it, of course."

"I don't understand your change of heart." The girl with dark blonde hair softly admits.

"Hope and I, it will never happen." Josie drops. "I don't want to miss my chance with you because I'm too hung up on her. So, Jade Warren, would you give me a chance?"

Jade's frown slowly leaves place to a full blown smile. She stops walking suddenly, and gently tugs on Josie's hand. The brunette stumbles a little, but is quickly stabilized by Jade's hands on her waist.

"Will I get to kiss you if I say yes?"

Josie smiles. "You'll get to do a lot more than that if you say yes."

Jade's hands leave Josie's waist to go to the back of her neck. She gently pulls the brunette closer until their lips are brushing.

"Yes." 

As soon as the word leaves her mouth, Jade closes the gap between them. The feeling of Jade's lips on her own is definitely pleasant for Josie. She sighs and quickly places a hand on the small of the blonde's back and pulls her closer. The kiss doesn't last long, but it's just long enough to ease Josie's aching heart a little. 

"Let's go back to my place." Jade says as she pulls away. 

Josie only nods, and lets the blonde girl pull her in the direction of her apartment. It takes them a 15 minutes walk to get there, and when they walk through the door, Jade wastes no time to kiss Josie again. Things escalate quickly from there, and they end up half naked in no time. When what's about to happen sinks in for Josie, she suddenly puts a stop to it all. She places a hand on Jade's chest and gently pushes her away before sitting up in the blonde's bed. Worry immediately appears on Jade's face, and she places a safe distance between them.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. You did absolutely nothing wrong." Josie sighs.

The brunette brings her knees close to her chest and hugs them with her arms. She feels vulnerable and a little too naked in that moment. Jade seems to notice because she quickly reaches for a blanket and draps it around the brunette's shoulders, effectively covering her body.

"Thank you." Josie whispers. "I'm sorry. I think I'm not ready to…"

Josie doesn't finish her sentence, but Jade still understands.

The blonde nods. "Are you… still a virgin?"

Josie leans her forehead on her knees to hide her blushing cheeks to Jade. 

"No, I'm not." Josie mumbles. "I only had sex once, though."

"Josie…" Jade softly says. "Would you mind looking at me and explaining what's going on? Because I'm getting really worried right now."

After a second or two, Josie looks up and meets Jade's eyes. Something close to butterflies makes its appearance in the Saltzman girl's chest, and without thinking about it she places a hand over her heart.

"Are you in pain?" Jade quickly asks. "I can call-"

"No! I'm not in pain." Josie smiles a little shy smile. "You're making me feel things."

The worry slowly disappears and is replaced by a little smile on Jade's face.

"Oh. That's good."

"Yeah." Josie nods. "As for the explanation you asked for… I think I wasn't fully ready when I lost my virginity. I was heartbroken over Hope, and I desperately wanted to move on. So, I gave myself to the first boy who showed interest. It was dumb, I know."

Jade nods slowly. "We all tend to do dumb things when we're hurt."

"Yeah…" Josie sighs. "I'm sorry. I thought I could-"

"Hey, no. You don't owe me anything." Jade smiles. "I'm gonna give you some PJs, and then we can watch a movie or something. Maybe even cuddle if you're up for it."

"Cuddles sound nice."

"Yeah?" Jade asks to make sure, and Josie nods. "Then, let's do that."

After they both get changed into pyjamas, the girls settle under the covers of Jade's bed. Josie's surprised when Jade pulls her closer until she rests her head on the blonde's chest. The brunette is so used to being the one to hold others, that being held like this feels a little weird. She lets it happen though, and as the movie starts and Jade lets her finger gently play with the brown locks of Josie's hair, the Saltzman girl feels a wave of peace invade her. She doesn't get to see more than 10 minutes of the movie before falling asleep. 

The next morning, they're woken up by a knock on Jade's door. It takes them a couple of seconds to wake up but then, the older girl quickly goes to open the door. Both Josie and Jade are surprised to see Landon standing there.

"Hey, uh… Hope's here to take Josie home."

The brunette reaches for her phone on the nightstand to check the time.

"It's barely 8!" She groans. 

Landon clears his throat. "She says you have things to talk about."

Josie frowns, not really knowing what they could have to talk about. She still gets out of bed though. She grabs her clothes and quickly goes to change herself in the bathroom. When she walks back into Jade's room, Landon is gone. The blonde is sitting on her bed, but she quickly stands up when she hears Josie walking in.

"Hey." Jade says with a little smile.

Josie giggles and looks down for a second before looking back up.

"Hey."

"So, I really hate ambiguity." Jade says. "What are we now?"

Josie's smile gets a little bigger. "Well, what do you want us to be?"

"Josie…" Jade groans. "You know exactly what I want us to be."

"Jade, please say it."

"I want you to be my girlfriend."

"I'd kiss you right now if my teeth were clean." Both girls chuckle. "So… Girlfriends?"

Jade nods with a smile. "Girlfriends."

Josie walks closer to Jade and pulls her into a hug. Jade immediately hugs her back. They stay in each other's arms for a minute before pulling away.

"I should go. Hope is waiting for me."

"Yeah, okay." Jade nods. "Maybe I could come visit you soon?"

"That'd be good." Josie leans in and leaves a lingering kiss on Jade's cheek. "Come on, now. Let's go."

They walk out of Jade's bedroom hand in hand. Josie immediately notices the scowl on Hope's face as well as the way her arms are crossed. Landon and the auburn haired girl are talking in ushered tones, and it almost looks like they're fighting. 

"Hey, guys." Jade awkwardly says.

The fighting couple immediately stops their conversation to look at the two girls. Landon forces a smile, but Hope doesn't. Josie can see the way Hope's eyes fall to where her hand is clasped with Jade's. For some reason, Hope looks even more mad than she already did.

"We should go, Jo."

"Uh, yeah." Josie quickly blurts out. She leaves a quick peck to Jade's cheek before releasing her girlfriend's hand. "Bye."

Landon and Jade both say goodbye to her, and then Hope walks out of the apartment. Josie quickly follows her, and she's surprised by how fast her best friend is walking. 

"Hope! Wait up." Josie calls out, but the auburn haired girl doesn't stop. "Hope, come on." 

The Mikaelson girl suddenly stops, and Josie can clearly see her taking a deep breath. Josie barely avoids colliding with Hope's back. When she stops too, she waits a second before placing a soft hand on Hope's shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Let's just go home." Hope says, and her voice is so cold that Josie barely recognizes it.

The brunette doesn't argue. She lets her best friend guide her to her car, and then drive her to her apartment. When they are inside the walls of Hope's apartment, Josie expects Hope to finally talk to her, but the Mikaelson girl still stays silent. 

"Hope-"

"How could you leave me on my birthday?" Hope cuts Josie off. 

"That's why you're like this?" Josie says with a frown. "That's not on me! Your boyfriend clearly had plans for last night, who was I to interfere?"

Josie's voice drips with sarcasm and that's not lost on Hope. The auburn haired girl's blue eyes get hard and she takes a step closer to Josie.

" _ You _ are my best friend. We were supposed to stay together this weekend."

"Oh, do I have to remind you that you set us up on a fucking double date?"

"That didn't separate us!" Hope yells. 

Josie snickers. "Like I'm the one separating us. We spend months apart because your boyfriend takes up all your time. Even when we're together he has to be there."

"What's your problem with Landon? He's always been nice to you." 

"I don't have a problem with Landon! It's your relationship with him that causes me a problem. You're not yourself anymore and you don't even see it."

Josie doesn't know when she let her emotions get the best of her. She has tears in her eye, just like Hope. The Mikaelson girl scoffs and angrily wipes the tears from her eyes. 

"Oh, yeah? Should we talk about the fact that you got with Jade even though you don't even like her? You're so desperate to not be alone that you're ready to give yourself to the first person that wants you."

"That's not true!" Josie immediately protests. "You know nothing about how I feel for Jade. You wanna know why? Because you don't care anymore! We used to always be together and now I'm lucky to get a call from you every two week."

"You know what? I think you just can't accept that we're not kids anymore." Hope spits like venom. "You can't hide behind me like you used to and I can't be your whole world. You need to grow up."

"I need to grow up?!" Josie says back in disbelief. "Well, you need to stop depending on a stupid boy to find happiness. You don't even know who you are when you're not in a relationship."

"Fuck you, Josie!" Hope's voice breaks when she says the brunette's name. 

Before Josie can reply something, the Mikaelson girl goes to her room. She comes back a couple of seconds later with Josie's bag in hands. Josie's eyes grow big when she sees Hope throw the bag at her. She catches it and looks back at Hope.

"What the hell?"

"I don't wanna see you anymore." Hope says, her voice still breaking here and there. "Get out!"

The words hit Josie like a knife through the heart. It feels so brutal, that she stays frozen in place. She looks at how Hope's cheeks are red with anger, and the way her eyes are full of everything but love. Josie's hold on her bag tightens and she opens her mouth to speak, but Hope beats her to it.

"I said get out!" The Mikaelson girl cries out. She doesn't even try to stop the tears that are spilling on her cheeks. 

Josie doesn't know when she started crying. All she knows is that her vision is blurred by the tears in her eyes. Without saying a word, she turns around and walks out of Hope's apartment. She goes straight to her car and locks the door behind her. She has to wait in her car for a long time before she can actually drive back home. She waits until she stops crying, and calms down. When she finally starts driving, a thought invades her mind.

_ That's it. I lost her anyway. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen. I swear this story has a happy ending. I know there is a lot of angst right now, but it's coming to an end very soon. The girls will make up as soon as the next chapter starts. 
> 
> Don't yell at me?


	13. Drunken truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only been a week! I'm getting good at regular updates, uh? 
> 
> Enjoy!

_ Hope & Josie - 20/19 - June 6 _

Josie has to stop several times on her way upstairs. The dizziness she's feeling keeps her from walking straight, and it pushes her to find something to lean on. After way longer than it should have taken her, the brunette stumbles into a room. Even in her drunken state, she's worried to find it empty. As soon as she closes the door behind her, she locks it. Then, she turns around and leans her back against the door, and lets herself slide all the way to the floor. Josie looks around, and what she sees barely surprises her, she's a frat guy's room after all. Junk is everywhere, the bed is unmade and there's a basketball poster on the wall. She can't help but notice the smell of the room too, and it makes her scrunch her nose. Weed mixed with… something else.

The Saltzman girl quickly brings her knees close to her chest and hugs them. She closes her eyes and leans her forehead against her knees. For the first time that night, Josie allows herself to think about why she's here. Why she decided to get so drunk. Images of her fight with Hope fill her mind along with echoes of words that were harshly yelled. 

Hope.

Her best friend.

The girl she's madly in love with.

Josie's been ignoring Hope's calls, her texts and even her emails for a month now. She hasn't allowed herself to even glance at the texts or the emails, and no voicemails were listened to. It's not that Josie doesn't want to listen to her best friend's voice, or read her words. It's more that she knows she'd probably forgive Hope too easily. 

But now that she's drunk and alone, the brunette finds herself taking out her phone. She opens it, and feels maybe a little too disappointed to see Jade's face there instead of Hope's. The Mikaelson girl had been her phone's lock screen for years, and she suddenly isn't anymore. 

Because Hope kicked her out of her apartment. Because Hope is dating Landon, and she loves him. Because Josie is dating Jade now, and she's supposed to be moving on. 

Josie opens her contact list and goes straight to Hope's name. She looks at the name for way longer than she probably should, the hesitation making her stomach twist painfully. The brunette scrolls down until she sees her girlfriend's name on the screen. She should call Jade, not Hope. After another long moment, Josie finally makes her decision. The phone rings twice before it gets answered.

"Josie?" Hope says, her voice heavy with sleep. "You decided to return my calls at 1am?"

"Gosh, I missed your voice." Josie blurts out, unable to stop herself.

"Josie…" Hope pauses and sighs. "Are you drunk?"

"Yeah." Josie says without missing a beat. "I'm at a party. I don't know anyone here and-"

"Wait." Hope cuts her off. "You're alone at a party? Josie! That's dangerous-"

Josie snorts. "Don't act all worried."

There's an unexpected pause on the other end of the call. Josie bites her lip, but she doesn't say anything more. 

"I do worry about you." Hope ends up saying.

Josie can hear the hurt in her best friend's voice and it almost makes her regret her words.

"Why should I believe that?"

"Josie… I've always cared about you. You know that." The Mikaelson girl's words sound like a plea now. "You're the most important person to me."

The Saltzman girl rolls her eyes. "Oh yeah, that showed when you kicked me out of your apartment last month."

"I've been trying to apologize every single day since!" Hope says, her voice getting noticeably frustrated.

Then, before Josie can say anything, there's another faint voice coming out of the phone.

"Hope, what's going on? Who are you talking to?"

"You're with Landon." Josie says before she can't stop herself. The pain she feels is worse than the one she's been falling during the whole past month. "Of course, you're with him. Bye Hope."

"Josette Lucas Saltzman, don't you dare hang up on me." Hope sternly says. "Don't do this to us, Josie." She adds way more gently. 

Josie doesn't hang up, but she doesn't say anything either. She hears Hope talk to Landon really quickly before she can hear movement.

"I'm going to the living room, give me a sec." Hope tells Josie.

During that time, there's someone trying to get inside the room the brunette locked herself into. Josie's eyes go wide, and there's a sudden fear inside her chest. Her grip on her phone gets tighter until the person moves on.

"I took Landon's phone and I'm gonna call Lizzie. She's gonna come and pick you up, okay?"

Josie nods. "Can you do it fast? Someone tried to get inside and I'm scared."

"Shit. Are you safe? Did you lock the door? Where are you? Why-"

Josie rubs her temple with her free hand, feeling a headache making its appearance.

"Hope, please, one question at a time." Josie sighs. "I think I'm safe, yeah. I did lock the door, and I'm leaning against it right now. I'm… at a frat house. I'm not sure which one."

"Okay, I'm sure Lizzie will figure it out." Hope says, and Josie's not sure who she's trying to convince. "I'm calling her now, stay on the line."

"Okay."

Hope quickly puts her phone on speaker mode to make sure she's gonna hear Josie while she's on the phone with Lizzie. Then, she quickly calls Lizzie. She has done her best to hide her worry from her best friend, but it's been eating her up ever since the conversation started. The thought that something could happen to Josie is unbearable to her. It would be her fault. She should be with Josie to prevent those things from happening. Or she should at least know when the brunette goes out. But she broke something between them, and Josie probably called her as a reflex. Because they've been friends for years, and she'd normally call Hope when things go bad. 

After three rings, Lizzie picks up the phone. "Who is this?"

"Lizzie, it's Hope."

"Hope? What the actual fuck, Mikaelson?" Lizzie angrily whispers. "It's past 1am, and why are you using a random phone to call me?"

"It's Landon's phone, I'm using my phone to talk to Josie." Hope quickly explains.

"Ew, now your hobbit has my number. Rude."

"Lizzie, now is not the time!" Hope hisses, getting irritated with the blonde's attitude.

"There's always time to make fun of Landon."

Hope sighs, and decides to ignore Lizzie's last words. Helping Josie is more important than defending Landon.

"Look, your sister went to a frat party alone, and now she's drunk and hiding in a room. You need to go and get her. I'd go myself, but it would take me hours to get there and Josie needs help now."

"Fuck." Lizzie groans. "Which frat house?"

"She doesn't know."

"Fine, I'll make some calls and find out!" Lizzie sighs. "Just so you know, this is all your fault."

The blonde hangs up before Hope can reply. The Mikaelson girl clenches her jaw, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. 

"Hope? Can you talk to me?" Josie says, her voice small and vulnerable.

"Of course. I just finished talking with your sister." Hope softly says as she brings her own phone back to her ear. "How do you feel, Jo?"

"I feel tired, and nauseous now. Can we talk about our fight?"

"No. You're drunk, and we should do this face to face." Hope says, before taking a little pause. "What color is the room you're in?"

Josie frowns. "What? Why are you asking this?"

"Just go with it. What color, Jo?"

"Blue." Josie says with a sigh. "A little like your eyes. I really love your eyes. They're so… blue."

Hope smiles fondly and giggles. "Yeah, they are blue."

"I love your hair too." Josie quickly adds. "When we were kids, your hair was like… you had red hair. But now, it's more like auburn and it suits you. You used to have freckles when we were kids, and that was so cute. They faded with time though, but when we're really close I can still see them sometimes."

"Josie…"

"I miss you, Hope." The brunette takes a shaky breath in. "I know I should be really mad at you right now, but I just wish you could be here to hold me."

"Is that really what you'd want?" Hope asks, uncertainty clear in her voice.

"More than anything in the world."

Hope hums. "Keep talking to me, Jo. Say whatever comes to your mind."

"I don't really like Lacrosse." Josie says after a while. "I actually find it boring. I only showed interest because you like it so much. Oh, and you looked so good in your uniform when we were in High School."

Hope chuckles. "You never liked sports, Josie. I knew you weren't there for the game."

"Hope, there are noises. What are you doing?"

"Don't pay attention to it." Hope quickly answers. "Just keep-" Hope suddenly stops. "Give me a second, Lizzie is calling." Hope puts Josie on speaker real quick before bringing Landon's phone to her ear. "Lizzie?"

"Yeah, so I found the party, but I can't find Josie anywhere."

"Give me a sec." Hope brings her own phone closer to her mouth. "Josie, can you give us some clues as to where you could be."

"Uh… I'm upstairs."

"We need more than that, Jo."

"I could open the door, and-"

"No. Don't open the door until you hear Lizzie's voice on the other side. Did I make myself clear, Josie?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Hope goes back to Landon's phone. "She's upstairs. She can't say more. Find a locked door, and call out her name. I told her to not open the door until she hears your voice."

Lizzie groans. "Fine."

The blonde hangs up again without saying goodbye, making Hope roll her eyes. The auburn haired girl puts Landon's phone down before picking up her own phone again. 

"Hey, Lizzie's gonna be there soon, okay?"

"Okay." Josie's voice is small. "Hope, I miss you."

"I miss you too."

The brunette runs a hand through her hair and sighs. "Am I gonna see you soon?"

"You will, I promise."

Josie bites her bottom lip and nods. She opens her mouth to say something, but a knock on the door stops her from doing so.

"Josie? Are you in there?"

"Lizzie! Yeah, I'm here."

The blonde exhales a breath of relief. "Thank god, now unlock the door. I'm gonna take you home."

"Hope?" Josie quickly says. "Lizzie's here. I'm gonna hang up now."

"Okay, good. I'll see you soon, Jo. I love you."

"I, uh… Okay, yeah. Bye."

Josie's so flustered that she hangs up the phone and shoves it in one of the pockets of her jeans. She takes a couple of shaky breaths to steady herself, and hopefully get rid of her racing heart. 

"Jo? What are you doing? I'm tired!"

The brunette quickly gets to her feet and unlocks the door. Getting Lizzie out of bed at nearly 2am is already a bad thing, but making her wait on top of that? It would be a really bad idea.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 20/19 - June 7 _

As Josie slowly gets her eyes to open, she's relieved to notice that there's barely any light in the room. The blinds were carefully closed and so were the lights. With a groan, the brunette sits up in bed, feeling every muscle in her body complain in the process. She quickly sees that the door of her room is slightly open, allowing a little ray of light to come inside the otherwise totally dark room. Josie gently rubs her temples, her head is pounding. Memories of the night before slowly come back to her, and she has a hard time believing she let herself call Hope. It doesn't help her that the auburn haired girl was so helpful and worried for her. She's supposed to be mad at Hope! 

When these thoughts only serve to make her headache worse, Josie decides to just get out of bed. She turns around and lets her legs fall out of bed next to her nightstand. The brunette notices her phone there, and quickly reaches for it. She turns it on to see what time it is, but immediately regrets it. The brightness of her screen is too much for her to take, so she quickly turns it off again. It's only when she puts the phone back onto the nightstand that she sees the glass of water and the ibuprofen waiting for her there. Without hesitation, Josie reaches for the both of them. She takes the pills quickly before drinking the whole glass of water. It gently relieves her dry throat. Then, the Saltzman girl finally stands up. She looks down at herself and groans when she sees she still has last night's clothes on. She quickly goes through her desk to find a nice pair of PJs to put on, but before putting them on she needs a shower. She never felt this gross in her entire life. 

As Josie walks out of her room, she hears voices in the living room and she's almost tempted to go see who's there. She quickly changes her mind when she hears just how annoyed her twin sounds. 

_ Shower first. _ Josie thinks as she walks to the bathroom.

She takes a long shower, long enough to make Josie's body ache a little less, and for her thoughts to go quiet. When she gets out of the shower, Josie quickly puts her PJs on to avoid getting cold. Then, she brushes her teeth, and puts her hair up in a messy bun. The brunette looks at herself through the mirror for a moment, before she sighs. She looks like she went a whole week without sleeping at all. There's nothing she can do about it right now, so Josie walks out of the bathroom and makes her way to the living room. Who she sees there with her sister makes her heart skip a beat, her eyes go wide and her mouth drop.

"Hey, Jo." Hope says with an awkward smile.

"What are you doing here?" Josie answers with a frown.

"I told you we'd see each other soon, didn't I?"

Josie crosses her arms and avoids Hope's eyes. She can't just forgive Hope that easily.

"I shouldn't have called you last night. You can go now."

Lizzie stands up. "Okay. Time for me to go."

"No, Hope is the one who has to go." Josie protests.

Hope quickly stands up too. "I'm not going anywhere before we get to talk!"

"Okay, bye!" 

Lizzie quickly puts shoes on and walks out the door. Josie looks at the door, her face full of betrayal, before looking back at Hope. She glares at her friend in the hopes that the Mikaelson girl will get the message and leave, but instead of leaving, Hope walks closer to Josie.

"Please, Josie. I meant it last night… I miss you."

"I-I don't care."

"You're lying." Hope quickly says back. "Please, give me a chance to apologize and-" Hope stops herself, looking down at the floor. "And maybe even explain the way I acted."

Josie narrows her eyes. "You have five minutes to convince me I should forgive you."

"Ten." Hope tries to negotiate.

"Seven."

"Deal." Hope takes a deep breath. "We were supposed to spend the weekend of my birthday together, and I completely ruined it. My first misstep was the double date, next I left to go back home with Landon and let you leave with Jade, and then I picked a fight with you."

"Good, we agree it was your fault." Josie says with her fakest smile.

"Don't interrupt me, I only have seven minutes!" Hope says, making Josie roll her eyes. "Kicking you out of my apartment was the worst of it all though. I regretted it as soon as you walked out." Hope takes another step close to Josie, limiting the space between them. "I am so sorry about everything that I did and said. I got angry and jealous, and-"

Josie gets confused by her friend's words. "Jealous? Of me? Why wou-"

"Of Jade." Hope avoids Josie's eyes. "I was angry that you chose to go with her instead of going home with me."

"Your boyfriend suggested it, and you said nothing. I thought that you wanted me to go with Jade." Josie says, frustration showing in her voice. "You should have said something."

"I thought you'd fight for us."

"I shouldn't have to." Josie says, and Hope finally looks back up at her. "You can't expect me to fight for us, when you're not willing to do the same."

"I know." Hope runs a hand through her hair and turns around, unable to look at her best friend anymore. "I was wrong, okay? I should have told Landon that going home with him was not what I wanted." She turns back to face Josie. "I should have told him that all I wanted for my birthday was to catch up with my best friend, cuddle with her in my bed and watch bad 90s romcoms." Hope takes a step closer and dares to take one of Josie's hands in hers. "Listen to me very carefully, Josie. After everything we've been through, I can't lose you. I am who I am today because of you. Without you, I'm so lost. I can't imagine my life without my best friend." 

Hope opens her mouth again to say more, but Josie cuts her off.

"Your seven minutes are over. Choose your next words carefully."

"Please forgive me, I love you too much to lose you."

Josie sighs and takes her hand back. She walks around Hope and goes to sit on the couch. The Mikaelson girl's eyes follow her every move as she looks at the brunette with nervousness written all over her face.

"I'm sorry about what I said to you that day." Josie says. "Your words were hurting me really bad, and I wanted to hurt you too."

Hope takes a seat next to Josie on the couch but leaves space between them, knowing they didn't fully make up yet. 

"I don't blame you for saying those things, and… Some of them were true. I let my relationship with Landon take over my life, and I wasn't me anymore." She makes sure to look Josie in the eyes as she says her next words. "You know me better than anyone else. You're the only one I can truly be myself with. So, Josie Saltzman, do you forgive me?"

Josie hums and playfully smiles. "Under one condition."

"Which is?"

"We have to spend a weekend together every month." Josie says without hesitation. "No Landon, no Jade. Just us. Oh, and I want you to bake me a banana cream pie. I've been craving it, and yours is the best."

Hope's smile is full of fondness as she listens to Josie's words. 

"That makes two conditions though." The Mikaelson girl teases. "Not that I mind. I'm saying yes to both."

Josie's smile is blinding as she lunches forward and hugs Hope close. It takes little to no time for the auburn haired girl to return the embrace. After a moment, Josie ends up lying on the couch with her head in Hope's lap and her eyes closed. The Mikaelson girl is gently playing with the brunette's hair and neither of them are speaking. Josie hasn't felt this good in months. When Hope's phone starts to ring, it startles the both of them. She quickly gets her phone out, and Josie's surprised when her best friend actually denies the call. Hope quickly types a message and puts her phone back into her pocket. 

"Do you have to go?" Josie asks, her voice barely above her whisper. She opens her eyes, but doesn't look up at Hope.

"Not until tomorrow. Unless you want me to go."

Josie quickly sits up and looks at Hope. "No! I want you to stay. You could spend the night here, and we could order pizza and cuddle."

"That sounds lovely. Do you happen to have the ingredients I'd need to make a banana cream pie?" 

Josie's eyes light up. "No, but there's a grocery store nearby."

"Go get dressed, we can go together."

Josie does as she's told quickly. Together, Hope and Josie decide to get something to eat first since they already missed breakfast. Then, they go get all they're gonna need to make Hope's famous banana cream pie before going back to the twin's apartment. When they get there, the Mikaelson girl quickly gets to work, and Josie does her best to help. As they work together in the kitchen with some music playing in the background, both girls feel like their puzzle pieces fell back into place. They share shy smiles, and playful nudges. Josie lets herself stare at Hope for too long. The auburn haired girl doesn't seem to mind though, her smile gets a little wider when she catches Josie's gaze.

Later, they settle on the couch, a little too close, and watch a show together. They order food for dinner, and when they're done Hope leans her head on Josie's shoulder. After a moment, the Mikaelson girl links their hands together and intertwines their fingers. Josie's mind screams at her that nothing will ever feel more right than this. No one's hands will fit hers like Hope's.

"My mom yelled at me when I told her we were not speaking." Hope suddenly says. 

"Really?" Josie chuckles.

"Yeah. She loves you a lot."

That makes the brunette smile. "Your family has a special place in my heart. They were more supportive of me than my own father. The only reason why I didn't absolutely hate myself when I realised I like girls is because of your aunts." Josie admits as she looks her best friend in the eyes.

Hope's eyes soften and it almost looks like she's on the verge of tears for a second. Then, she gently lifts a hand and places it on Josie's cheek. Her thumb goes back and forth in a very soothing caress. It takes every little bit of her strength for Josie to stop herself from leaning in and kissing Hope's perfect lips.

"That's good. You deserve nothing more than to love yourself, because you have such a beautiful heart, Josie."

"Hope… I love you." The Saltzman girl says, pouring all her feelings into her words, hoping that her friend will finally understand their true meaning.

Hope smiles fondly. "I love you too." She takes a deep breath. "Jo, I have something to tell you. Landon proposed on the night of my birthday."

Josie's heart sinks when she realises that Hope didn't understand the meaning of her words, and even worse, she's engaged to Landon Kirby.

"You're engaged." Josie states, her eyes wide with surprise.

"No. I-I didn't give him an answer yet." Hope sighs. "With everything that happened between us, I couldn't answer him right away. I needed to talk this out with you and we were not talking, so…"

"Okay. Well, tell me what you want to talk about and, uh, I'll do my best to help."

The brunette is surprised when she manages to smile at her best friend. Her heart just broke into a million of tiny little pieces, but Hope's happiness is what should matter to her right now. She needs to be a good friend if she wants to keep a little place in Hope's life. 

"Is there any reason why I shouldn't marry Landon?"

_ I'm in love with you. _ Is the first thought that crosses Josie's mind.

"Except that you're very young?" Josie says instead.

Hope chuckles and shakes her head. "We wouldn't be getting married now. It'd be like in a year, or two."

"Oh, well… I guess there's no reason for you to say no then." Josie says, feeling her emotions caught in her throat. "Landon loves you. Jade told me so. You love him, you told me so. You should say yes."

Hope's smile doesn't really reach her eyes, but Josie's too focused on her pain to see it. 

"Okay, I will."

Later that night, when they go to bed and Hope spoons Josie, the brunette has to control her sobs so as to not worry her friend. She can't help but think of the way this is tragically mirroring the night Hope told her Landon kissed her all those years ago. Time passed, but little changed. She's still desperately in love with Hope Mikaelson while the auburn haired girl is chasing Landon Kirby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't throw rocks at me. I promise they get their happy ending next chapter.


	14. Marrying the right one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goal for this chapter? Make Landon the worst character ever.

_ Hope & Josie - 20/19 - January _

Being cuddled up with Jade feels different than when Josie's cuddling Hope. It still feels nice, but there's something missing. Jade doesn't make goosebumps appear on Josie's arms when their skin touches. Jade likes to be the one holding Josie, but the brunette is used to being the one doing the holding. The last thing that's really different is the smell. Jade and Hope's smell are so different, and it sometimes drives Josie insane. 

When Jade's hand ends up on Josie's thigh, the brunette's heart still stutters though, and that's good. It could be enough. It will have to be enough. Jade is nice to her. She's thoughtful, and she likes Josie. So it has to be enough. 

The blonde's hand slowly goes up and down on the brunette's thigh, and after a moment, Josie can feel Jade's eyes on her. Josie knows she must be blushing, and that's what keeps her from facing Jade for the longest time. When she does look at her girlfriend, the look in Jade's eyes always makes her swoon.

"Jo… Do you think we could, I don't know, ditch the movie and you know..?"

Josie decides to act as if she doesn't understand what Jade means. She frowns and looks at Jade with her most innocent look.

"You wanna play a board game? Or did you mean-"

"You know exactly what I meant." Jade cuts her off with a smirk.

Josie bites her lip, trying to stop herself from smiling and failing miserably.

"Do I?" The brunette whispers before looking down at her girlfriend's lips. "I think you should show me."

Jade's smile gets a little bigger as she nods. She places a gentle hand on the back of Josie's neck and slowly pulls the brunette closer with the goal to make their lips meet in a passionate kiss. Just as their mouths are about to make contact with each other, a knock on the door makes them jump apart. Jade hits her head on the wall behind her in exasperation. 

"Uh, I'd like to talk with Josie for a sec." 

As soon as they hear Hope's voice, Josie and Jade have very different reactions. The brunette can't stop a big smile from appearing on her face, while the blonde looks like she's ready to commit murder. Josie doesn't even hesitate before getting off the bed and walking to the door. The whole time, Jade looks at her with a mix of disbelief and disappointment, but Josie never notices. The brunette opens the door to her best friend, and there stands a very awkward looking Hope.

"Hey." Hope says quietly.

"Hey." Josie says back, smile still in place. "I didn't know you were here. I thought you were at your place with Landon."

"I was, but-" Hope clears her throat. "I knew you were here, and I know it's not our weekend, but I was wondering if you could come back home with me."

For a second, Josie almost immediately agrees, but then she hesitates. Hope is right, this isn't their weekend. She's supposed to be here to spend time with Jade, not with her best friend. The brunette bites her lip, knowing full well she should say no. There's something stopping her though.

"Is there something wrong? Do you need me?" Josie asks quietly, making sure Jade can't hear her. 

Hope's mouth drops a little before she closes it and crosses her arms. Then, the auburn haired girl clears her throat and shrugs.

"Just come home with me. Please." Hope says as an answer, just as quietly as Josie had spoken.

Josie nods. "Wait for me in the living room. I'll be there soon."

Hope agrees quickly before walking off. Josie closes the door behind Hope, and actually facing Jade and telling her she's gonna leave with her best friend fills her with dread. As soon as the brunette's eyes fall on her girlfriend, Josie's heart sinks. Jade looks really mad.

"Don't even tell me. You're gonna leave with her, aren't you?" Jade places her fingers on her temples and shakes her head. "I'm so stupid. I thought you were slowly moving on, but hearing her voice still lights you up. You'd still give everything up just to spend one more minute with her."

"Jade, just let me-"

The blonde quickly interrupts her. "No, I don't wanna hear it, Jo. I don't even know what to do to make you see me anymore. I-I deserve better, Josie." Jade sighs. "You're never gonna love me. You love her too much for that. I think we should break up."

It hurts the Saltzman girl a little more than she expected when she hears the words come out of Jade's mouth. She did try her best to fall for the blonde, and she does care for her. There's even a part of her that's aching to let go of Hope and give her all to Jade. She hates knowing that she's hurting Jade, she never meant to do that.

"You're right, Jade. You deserve better." Josie can feel the tears in her eyes, but she still manages to give the blonde a sorry smile. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be the one for you."

All the anger on Jade's face suddenly disappears when she hears Josie's words and sees the tears in her eyes. Without hesitation, Jade steps forward and pulls Josie in a tight hug that the brunette reciprocates immediately.

"Maybe… maybe we just tried at the wrong time." Jade says softly. "Maybe one day-"

"Jade, no." Josie shakes her head and pulls away. "I can't give you hope. I don't know if I'll ever get over her, and that wouldn't be fair to you. You'll find another girl, or maybe a boy. Someone who will love you with their whole heart."

Jade nods as tears now fall on her cheeks. "Can we… at least stay friends? I mean, with Hope and Landon getting married, we'll have to see each other-"

"Jade, of course we can stay friends." Josie gently wipes Jade's tears away. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Okay." Jade says in a small voice.

"Are you gonna be okay? Should I stay?"

"Josie… We just broke up. You should go. I'll spend the night eating ice cream and watching movies with Landon and Raf."

Josie winces. "Yeah. Sorry. I'll just, uh… go."

The brunette tries to pull away, but then she can feel Jade holding on to her. Josie looks back at the older girl with confusion written all over her face only to see hesitation playing in Jade's eyes. 

"Could I have one last kiss from my dream girl?"

Josie's face softens. "Of course."

When their lips touch, it tastes bittersweet. It's as gentle as it always was. Jade's lips are soft, and they move slowly against Josie's. In another life, they could have been a good match. Maybe even a perfect fit. In a world where Hope is not the one making Josie's heart race.

They pull away a couple of seconds after the kiss starts. Josie looks down at Jade for a moment before she leans in and leaves a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead. Then, with more difficulty than expected, Josie pulls away and gets her bag from the floor. She leaves Jade's room without looking back. She walks to the living room with a heavy heart. Hope looks away from her boyfriend as soon as she hears Josie walks in, and when she sees her best friend, her face drops.

"Josie, you're crying!" She says as she quickly gets up and runs to take Josie in her arms. "Hey, what happened?"

"Uh…" Josie takes a shaky breath in. "Jade and I broke up."

"Oh, Jo-"

"What?" Landon says as he stands up too. "What did you do?"

Hope quickly looks back at him, an angry frown on her face.

"Maybe Jade's the one who did something."

Landon crosses his arms. "No, Jade cares about Josie a lot. If they broke up, it's definitely Josie's fault."

"What? Do you hear yourself?" Hope angrily says. Landon opens his mouth, but one glare from the Mikaelson girl and he closes it again. "I'm taking Josie home. We'll talk about this another time. Take care of your best friend, I'll do the same."

Without another word to her fiancé, Hope pulls Josie out of the apartment. Josie follows her best friend until they are in Hope's car. The Mikaelson girl drives them home, and they hold hands during the whole ride. When they get to Hope's apartment, the older girl tells Josie to get into her PJs, and she uses that time to get some break up food ready. They settle under the blankets of Hope's bed together, their bodies so close that space is non-existent between them. 

"So, do I need to beat up Jade?"

Josie is kind of taken by surprise by the question. At first, she's sure Hope is trying to make a joke, but when she turns her head to look at her, she sees her best friend is totally serious.

"What? No!" Josie quickly says. "It was… a mutual agreement. It was not working out."

Hope frowns and looks down. "I don't understand. What happened? Is it… is it because I asked you to come home with me?"

"No. I mean, maybe a little." Josie scratches the back of her head. "It would have happened eventually anyway, but me choosing you over her tonight kinda made it happen sooner."

"I'm sorry. Maybe I could talk to her-"

"No, it's no use." Josie quickly says. "It's for the best, Hope."

"Are you sure?"

There's so much worry and care in Hope's voice that it's playing with Josie's heart strings. She looks back at the movie playing on the screen and leans her head on Hope's shoulder. She hopes that her best friend will get the message and let it go. When she feels the Mikaelson girl lean her head against her own, the brunette knows she was heard even without speaking. She sighs and reaches for Hope's hand, intertwining their fingers together. It feels so right, that Josie's heart becomes a little lighter.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 21/20 - September _

Josie looks around the store and the amount of wedding dresses totally blows her mind. There are all kinds of dresses, in all kinds of colors. The wedding preparations started a month or two ago, and here they are, looking for Hope's wedding dress. As her best friend's maid of honor, Josie has to tag along to a lot of those things and to say it hurts her would be an understatement. It's excruciating. Seeing the love of her life getting ready to marry someone else is destroying the Saltzman girl. She has to do it though, for Hope.

So, Josie looks at all the dresses while Hope tries some of them on. Each time Hope walks out in a beautiful, yet colorful dress, Josie gets a little confused and irritated. The dresses never seem to bring up real joy to the auburn haired girl, and Josie knows exactly why. After what feels like the hundreth dress, the brunette walks up the steps to join Hope on the little showing stage. The Mikaelson girl is looking at herself in the mirror as she wears a soft pink dress. There's a smile on her face, but it doesn't reach her eyes. Josie pulss Hope into a hug from behind. The brunette places her chin on her best friend's shoulder and looks her in the eyes through the mirror. 

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Josie softly says.

Hope frowns. "What do you mean?"

"You've always wanted a white wedding dress, yet you didn't even try one on. Why?"

Hope chuckles and shakes her head. "Of course you remember that." She sighs. "Landon doesn't like how 'traditional' white wedding dresses are. He asked me to pick another color."

_ Freaking idiot. _ Josie can't stop herself from thinking as a frown appears on her face.

"Well, you could at least try one on, for yourself… and for me."

Hope turns around in Josie's arms. When they are face to face, the auburn haired girl lifts her arms until they are around the brunette's neck. They look each other in the eyes for a long moment, neither of them saying a word. Josie has to try her hardest to not let her eyes flicker to her best friend's lips. Then, Hope takes a strand of Josie's hair between her fingers and gently tucks on it, breaking the moment and making the younger girl roll her eyes in annoyance. 

"Pick one." The Mikaelson girl says as she pulls away. "I'll try it on for you."

Josie's eyes light up and she quickly nods. She walks down the two stairs and goes back to the alleys of dresses. Her goal is simple, finding a dress so perfect that Hope decides to buy it even though Landon wants her to pick a colorful dress. The white dresses seem to be endless, but Josie is on a mission and she won't back down. She knows it takes her a while to find a suitable dress, but when she does, she knows it's the perfect one. She brings it back to Hope, confident that it will make her best friend change her mind.

Hope's eyes fill with tears as soon as she lays eyes on the dress. She reaches for it and then disappears in a changing stall. Josie waits to see the result, her heart beating fast in her chest as she wonders if the dress will be a good fit. As soon as Hope walks back out of the stall, she has her answer. It looks absolutely perfect on Hope. The Mikaelson girl faces the mirrors again, tears fully falling from her eyes. Josie quickly steps in and hugs her best friend again, but not from behind this time. Hope quickly buries her face in Josie's neck, and the brunette rubs soothing circles on her best friend's back. 

"It's perfect, Josie." Hope manages to say after a while.

"Then, get it." The Saltzman girl quickly says back. "This is your wedding too, Hope. Don't throw your dreams away because it doesn't please Landon."

Hope doesn't say anything after that, she stays silent in Josie's arms. The thing that ends up breaking them apart is when the lady who works at the store walks up to them and shows them a purple dress. Hope gets out of Josie's arms and goes to try the dress on. It's the last one she ends up trying that day, and the one she decides to buy. It breaks Josie's heart all over again.

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 21/21 - March _

As the brunette walks into the dance studio, she still wonders why Hope invited her to the wedding dance rehearsals. It makes no sense for her to even be there, she won't be the one to dance with the auburn haired girl. It will only torture Josie even more to see Hope dancing with Landon. But Josie agreed, because Hope asked her and it's her wedding and Josie promised herself her best friend's wedding would be perfect.

_ Even if it kills me. _ Josie internally groans.

Hope is standing in the middle of the room. She's wearing her purple dress, and she listens intently to what a tall man is telling her. The Mikaelson girl quickly sees Josie walking closer to her through the mirrors and after saying a couple of words to the man, she turns around to greet her best friend. Hope's beauty always had the power of taking Josie's breath away, but Hope wearing her wedding dress with her hair up and two strands framing her princess-like face is totally making the brunette's knees weak.

"Josie, you're finally here!" The Mikaelson girl says as she pulls the brunette in a hug. 

"Hey, Hope." Josie says softly as she reciprocates the hug. "Why are you wearing your dress? And where's Landon?"

As soon as they pull away, Josie can tell Hope is annoyed and trying to hide it with a fake smile. The auburn haired girl shrugs.

"He couldn't make it on time."

Josie's confusion shows on her face. "You're here to rehearse your wedding dance and he couldn't make it on time?"

Hope sighs and waves a dismissive hand. "It's whatever. You're here now, so we can start."

"What?" Josie blurts out. "What do you mean?"

Hope's face lights up. "You, my dear best friend, is gonna help me learn the dance. You're gonna take Landon's place. So, this way, I get to still learn the moves while wearing my dress, and when Landon gets here it will only be him learning."

"I-I'm not sure it's a good idea." Josie stutters. "Changing partners is gonna be weird, maybe it won't help at all."

"Bryan says it's fine."

"Who's Bryan?"

"The dance teacher! Now, take your jacket off and join us."

Josie sighs, but she still does what Hope wants her to do. When she joins Hope and Bryan in the middle of the room, it isn't long before the lesson starts. After learning the basic steps of the waltz, Josie and Hope are put together to practice as a duo. One of Josie's hands goes into Hope's, while the other goes on the upper back of the older girl. As for Hope, the hand that is not holding Josie's is placed on the brunette's shoulder. Bryan makes it clear that their eyes have to stay locked together, and that their attention has to be on each other. It causes a lot of missteps at first, but after a couple of minutes, they fall into a comfortable rhythm. Looking right into the pool of Hope's ocean eyes has always been one of Josie's favorite things. They've always held so many emotions, and today is no different. There's an undeniable spark in those eyes, and Josie wonders what is causing it. The brunette's train of thoughts is interrupted by the ring of a phone. Both Josie and Hope stop dancing and look at their teacher. The man is looking at his phone.

"Girls, keep dancing. I have to take this call. I'm really sorry."

Hope smiles. "It's okay."

The man walks away, and Hope slowly walks closer to Josie. Their proximity is gonna keep them from waltzing, and the Saltzman girl frowns as confusion takes over her again. 

"Hope, you're too close. We won't be able to dance like this."

"Oh, I'm sure we can figure it out." Hope says with a sweet smile.

The auburn haired girl places her arms on Josie's shoulders, her hands placed softly at the back of the brunette's neck. Their bodies are now pressed together, and Josie wastes no time to place her hands on Hope's waist. The Saltzman girl thinks they're gonna look each other in the eyes again, but she's pleasantly surprised when Hope places her head in the space between Josie's neck and her collarbone. The way Hope's nose brushes Josie's skin immediately makes the brunette shiver, and she hopes that her best friend doesn't notice. 

"I knew Landon wouldn't be here on time. He told me a week ago. That's why I asked you to come." Hope sighs. "I could have pushed the class back, but dancing with you sounded so nice."

"Why didn't you tell me that?" Josie softly asks.

"Because I was afraid you'd say no."

"Did I ever refuse to dance with you?" Josie says, and Hope shakes her head. "Then, why would I start now?"

"Because it's a wedding dance."

Josie swallows with difficulty before opening her mouth again.

"It doesn't have to mean anything. We're best friends."

Hope slowly pulls away, and the sadness in her eyes is unmissable. Josie knows she said the wrong thing, but she doesn't understand how she did. 

"Honey, you should go change!" Bryan says as he walks back in. "Your fiancé is here."

Hope's eyes go a little wide before she quickly walks out of the room. Josie watches her go with an aching heart. She hears Landon walk in before she actually sees him, and she has to take a deep breath to keep herself from yelling at him. He's marrying the most wonderful girl in the whole world, and yet he doesn't seem to take it seriously. It's making Josie so mad, she wishes she could tell him he doesn't deserve Hope. 

"Oh, Josie, I didn't know you were here." Landon says as he walks closer to her.

"Hey, Landon, I expected you to be here sooner." Josie says with a fake smile.

"I couldn't get out of work to learn to dance." He says, looking a little annoyed. "It was Hope's idea to get lessons, I thought we could just slow dance."

"It's important to her. She's taking all of this seriously, you know?" Josie can't keep the angry edge she's feeling from showing up in her voice.

"What's your deal today?" He says with a frown. "If Hope has something to say to me, she can do it herself."

Josie clenches her jaw to keep herself from going off at him. The brunette is so mad that she turns her back to him and goes straight to the place she left her jacket. 

"Tell Hope I had to go." Josie says as she exits the room.

That was more than she can take. 

* * *

_ Hope & Josie - 22/21 - August 08 - Wedding day _

Josie has a plan. A plan to hopefully save her heart a lot of pain. She's gonna be the perfect maid of honor for Hope all day. She's gonna help her get ready, be there for her and do exactly everything that is expected of her. Then, she's gonna leave before the wedding actually starts. Not early enough for Hope to notice, and not too late either so she doesn't have to witness the girl she loves marry someone who does not deserve her. 

And it goes perfectly. Hope doesn't suspect anything. Josie acts all happy and supportive, and the auburn haired girl buys it. When they part ways because it's time for Josie to go stand in her spot of maid of honor, and for Hope to get ready to walk down the aisle, the girls share one last hug. Before they pull away completely, Josie leaves a lingering kiss on Hope's forehead. She knows it will probably be the last time she'll be this close to Hope. The Mikaelson girl won't forgive her for deserting her on her wedding day, even with the letter Josie is gonna leave for her. 

The brunette walks downstairs, and joins the guests. She sees her gift on the table with the others. She immediately recognizes it because she wrapped it in the shirt she made years ago to attend Hope's first Lacrosse game. Josie quickly shakes those thoughts out of her head, she has to find her sister. It takes her a second or two to spot her twin getting ready to go sit for the ceremony. 

"Lizzie, wait!" Josie calls out, effectively making the blonde stop. "Please, take this letter, and give it to Hope when the wedding is over."

"What? Why? Give it to her yourself."

"I'm leaving, Lizzie." Josie says, holding back tears, and feeling like she's running out of time. "Please, do this for me. I-I can't stay. I can't do it."

Lizzie's mouth drops a little and she looks totally taken aback for a couple of seconds before she slowly reaches for the letter in her sister's hand.

"She's gonna be pissed, Jo. You should tell her everything."

"It's too late, Lizzie." Josie says before wiping the tears on her cheeks. "I've been a coward all my life, and it cost me the girl I love. I can't do anything about it now. I can just try and save my heart some of the heartache."

"Okay, if you think that's what's best for you. Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna get my things from mom's house, and then go back to my apartment. It's better if I'm not in town when Hope finds out about… everything."

Lizzie nods, then Josie quickly thanks her sister and hugs her before making her way out of the Mikaelson house. As she walks out, Josie can see everyone sitting down in the backyard of the house, getting ready to see Hope Mikaelson get married. It makes Josie cry a little harder.

A minute or so after Josie walks out of the house, Hope walks down the stairs. All the guests are now in the backyard, waiting for her to walk down the aisle with her father. Klaus' eyes are full of tears when he sees his daughter for the first time of the day.

"You are a vision, my dear." The man says, his pride almost choking him. 

"Thank you, dad." Hope says, getting emotional too. "Don't make me cry, I have makeup on!"

He quickly wipes his eyes, getting rid of his unshed tears. 

"Shall we, my love?"

Hope nods. "Yeah, it's time, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

Hope takes her father's arm, and takes a deep breath as they walk out of the house. The music immediately invades her ears, and all eyes are on her. The Mikaelson girl is only looking for one person though, but that person isn't where she's supposed to be. Panic quickly fills Hope, and she stops walking abruptly. Klaus turns around to look at his daughter, worry written all over his face.

"Dad, where's Josie?" Hope quietly asks with a wavering voice.

The Mikaelson man looks back at where the brunette should be standing, and she's not there. Then, he looks to where Josie's family is sitting, but she's nowhere to be found.

"I don't know, Hope." Klaus says, as quietly as Hope asked her question. "Look, she's probably somewhere. You can ask her about it later. It doesn't matter now, she's not the one you're marrying, love."

Her father's words hit Hope a little harder than she thought they would. He's right, she's not marrying Josie. Suddenly, Hope understands just how big of a mistake she's about to make. She's about to marry a man she doesn't love because she never had the courage to tell the love of her life that she's in love with her.

"Excuse me." Hope says before she walks around her father, and makes her best friend's twin. "Where is Josie?"

The blonde looks uncomfortable and avoids Hope's eyes. 

"Look, Hope, you should just go on with the wedding, okay?" Lizzie says softly. "She left, and she's not coming back. She wrote you a letter, I'm gonna give it to you after the wedding."

"Give it to me, now." Hope says through gritted-teeth. 

Every word that came out of Lizzie's mouth made Hope's blood boil. She can't believe Josie actually left without saying a word. The Saltzman girl hands Hope the letter, not even trying to hide her annoyance.

"Don't be too hard on Jo. She did what she thought was best for herself."

"She should have talked to me." Hope bites back.

Lizzie opens her mouth, but Landon speaks before she can.

"Hope, can you tell me what's going on?" He asks with a fake smile. "We can find Josie later, that doesn't matter, okay? The ceremony started-"

"Can you please stop talking for a minute?" Hope angrily says as she opens the letter.

The curly haired boy looks surprised, but he doesn't say anything. Hope quickly reads the letter in her hands, and with every sentence, her eyes get a little wider. When she's done, the Mikaelson girl has never been as happy and angry at the same time. Hope folds the letter back, and then looks at Lizzie once again.

"Where is she?"

"She was going home."

Hope swallows with difficulty. "To your mother's house, right?"

"At first, but then she's gonna head back to her apartment."

Hope nods, and quickly turns around, walking back towards the house.

"Hope!" Landon calls out as he gently grabs her wrist. "Where do you think you're going? This is our wedding! You'll find Josie later. Now come back."

"Let go of me." Hope says as she yanks her wrist out of his grip. "I'm calling off the wedding. I can't do this, I'm sorry."

Landon clenches his jaw. "Don't be ridiculous. Why are you ruining our wedding? Because your best friend got jealous and ran away?" 

"No, it's because I'm in love with her. I've always been in love with Josie, and now I know she's in love with me too." Hope can't even stop her smile as she says those words. "This wedding isn't happening, Landon. I'm sorry."

Before the boy can say anything else, Hope turns around and runs inside the house. She doesn't even take the time to change out of her wedding dress. She just quickly gets her car keys before heading out of the house again. Getting inside the car with her big dress proves to be a challenge, but Hope doesn't give up. As soon as it's all in, the Mikaelson girl starts driving to Josie's house. She knows the way to the brunette's house by heart even though she hasn't been going there that much lately. The whole way there, Hope prays that she won't be too late, and when she pulls into Caroline's driveway and sees Josie's car still there, she sighs with relief. Hope gets out of the car, and just as she closes the door, Josie walks out of the house with her bag in hands. She's no longer wearing her maid of honor dress, and she let her hair down. It makes Hope's heart skip a beat.

Like Hope said to Landon, she's always been in love with Josie. It took her awhile to realize it. It happened after her first Lacrosse game. Josie is the only reason why she managed to make her team win, and after she twirled her best friend around, the way their eyes locked made Hope's race like crazy. She almost kissed Josie that night, but an idiot had to interrupt the moment, and then Hope had been too scared to bring it up again. It took her a long time to gather the courage to try anything with Josie again after that night. She even dated Ethan to try her suppress her feelings for her best friend. But after she broke up with the boy, and Josie and Penelope broke up too, Hope saw a little… hope. They got closer again, and Hope did everything to let her feelings show a little. It ended up with their friends thinking they were dating and Josie panicking. The thing that truly made her think her feelings for Josie were one-sided was after the Valentine's day they spent together. Hope went all in, and it ended up in disaster. 

Now, Hope sees all these events in a new light. Josie was scared too. All this time, they both have been so scared to lose each other that they almost did. 

"You lied to me." Hope says, immediately gaining Josie's attention.

"Hope?" Josie says, surprise making her eyes bigger than they ever were. "What are you doing here? You should be getting married-"

"No, because this wedding should have never even been a thing." Hope says, anger dripping into her voice. "You. Lied. To. Me."

"I-I don't know-"

Hope cuts her off. "Don't play dumb! I asked you if there was a reason why I should not marry Landon, and you said there were none. You lied to me."

"I don't understand." Josie says, looking down at the ground.

Hope's heart roars with love for the girl in front of her, but she has a hard time believing Josie could still not understand what is happening. Instead of saying anything, the auburn haired girl walks closer to the brunette. She takes a deep breath when she's close enough to Josie before gently lifting her best friend's chin up. When their eyes meet, the vulnerability in Josie's brown eyes is enough to tell Hope that Josie is still scared to lose her. 

"Josie, listen to me, okay?" The brunette bites her lip, but she still nods. "Josette Lucas Saltzman, I, Hope Andrea Mikaelson, am in love with you."

Josie blinks a couple of times, disbelief clear on her face. 

"Oh."

Hope smiles fondly. "Yeah."

"I'm in love with you too." Josie blurts out.

The Mikaelson girl nods and shows the letter in her hand. 

"Yeah, I figured."

"What's gonna happen now? What did you do? Are you still with Landon?" Josie asks her questions in one breath, not wasting any more time.

"Well, we need to figure things out together. I called off the wedding and told Landon I'm in love with you… So, I guess we're over."

"You need to make that clear with him." Josie pushes.

"I will." Hope says as she intertwines their fingers together. "But not now. I wan-"

"I don't think you'll have a choice."

Hope frowns, but before she can ask any question, she hears a car door getting slammed shut behind her. 

"Calm down, man." Rafael says as he tries to hold Landon back. 

"Let me go!" Landon yells at him before looking at Josie and Hope. "You!" He says, pointing at Josie. "Take your hands off my fiancé!"

The brunette almost pulls away, but the way Hope squeezes her hands makes her stay right where she is and stand her ground. 

"Landon, stop this." Hope says. "I don't even recognize you."

"Well, I don't recognize you either!" He angrily says. "I don't know what's going on in your head right now, but you're not in love with Josie. You're in love with me! We've been together for four years, it has to mean something."

"I'm sorry, Landon." Hope says with pain in her voice. "I never meant to hurt you, but I'm saying the truth. I've been in love with Josie since the first time I laid eyes on her. Before I even knew what love was."

"You have to be kidding me." He snorts. "You've been leading me on for years, yet you never meant to hurt me? You know what? You're a fucking bi-"

"Landon!" Jade interrupts him. "You stop that right now. Hope isn't the only one who doesn't recognize you right now, and I've known you all my life. Now get back in the car, we're taking you home."

"Whatever." He says before sitting in the passenger seat of the car.

Jade and Rafael stand outside of the car for a moment, looking really uncomfortable.

"We're really sorry about him." Jade says.

"Yeah, he's just… really hurt." Rafael adds.

Hope nods. "It's okay, I understand. Take care of him, okay? I really never wanted him to end up hurt."

Rafael nods before walking to the driver's side of the car. Jade gives them a little smile before getting in the backseat. The two girls watch them go for a couple of seconds.

Josie clears her throat. "So, what now?"

"Well, I need to get out of this dress." Hope says as she looks down at it. "Then, I think we should get dinner at the Mystic Grill, and come back here to cuddle and sleep. What do you think?"

Josie frowns. "Shouldn't we talk? I mean, with everything that happened and what we… confessed to each other-"

"We have all the time in the world for that now." Hope says with a smile. "I love you, and you love me. We had enough drama for one day, don't you think? Let's keep some for tomorrow."

Josie smiles back. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Still holding hands, Josie and Hope walk inside Caroline's house. The Mikaelson girl borrows some clothes from the brunette, and when she's changed they both head to the Mystic Grill. After a meal filled with small talk, and much needed laughter, they go back to Caroline's home. The woman doesn't ask questions when her daughter and Hope walk in hand in hand. The two girls have a light blush covering their cheeks as they greet Josie's mother and go upstairs, and Caroline can't help but think that they are truly adorable. 

A little later that night, as Josie is holding Hope close to her, she still has a hard time believing everything that has happened that day. Neither of them has talked for a while, but the brunette can tell Hope didn't fall asleep yet. Feeling a wave of boldness crash through her, Josie slowly leans in and leaves a soft kiss on the skin of Hope's neck. She feels the older girl shiver in her arms, and she can't stop the satisfied smile that appears on her face. It takes a second before Hope turns into her arms to face her. Hope's eyes are dark and Josie can't actually believe she's on the receiving end of that look. She sees the way the Mikaelson girl's eyes drop to her lips, and Josie quickly gives a little nod. It's all it takes for Hope to crash their lips together. The kiss is filled with years of repressed feelings. Josie always imagined their first kiss as slow, sweet and gentle. Instead, it's rushed and passionate. Hope kisses her like their lives depend on it. It's a little rough, and bruising, but it's also deep and affectionate. Josie never thought she'd ever get kissed like that. Like she's all that someone wants. Like she's all Hope wants. 

When they pull away, they are both out of breath. Hope is the first to open her eyes, and when she sees Josie's are still closed, she can stop the giggle that escapes her. The sound makes Josie finally open her eyes, looking totally dazed.

"I'm so in love with you."

Hope grabs Josie's collar and brings her closer again, making their lips brush in a very tempting way.

"I'm in love with you too."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you liked it!
> 
> Next chapter is literally gonna be a fluff fest! Are you ready?


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